The Blue Rewind
by DukkhaInsight
Summary: What caused the storm? How did Max get her powers? We all know the rabbit hole goes deeper and the Prescott family is at the bottom of it. Max uses the blue butterfly picture to go back in time taking Chloe back with her. Max's powers grow and begin to be able to include Chloe in them as well. Together they go on another adventure to save Arcadia Bay from destruction.
1. Wherever you go, There I am

"Max...It's Time…"

The sentence was on the edge of Max's senses. All she could hear was the roaring of the tornado and the feeling of rain drops on her skin that felt like acid taking pieces of herself away into the sea. She turned back to Chloe, the shivering blue haired girl looked so vulnerable in that moment awaiting a decision that could end it all. Chloe had given her that power and she trusted her to make the right choice.

Max knew this couldn't be the way that it all ended. This wasn't fate, it was a twisted joke. She had changed so much and became the person she needed to be. She could feel the power within herself. Max didn't feel that her calling was to reshape reality to her whim but to right a wrong, to fight for something or someone that couldn't fight for itself. She knew that this time it was Arcadia Bay. She would answer that call. Finally, Max spoke and her voice was even and strong with the experience of the past week. This was no longer that timid girl in the girls bathroom.

 _It's Time..._

"Yes Chloe, and I can control it. I was given this power for a reason. And it wasn't to watch you die."

Chloe searched Max's eyes with hers trying to discern if that meant she had made her decision. Reading Chloe, Max answered her unspoken question raising her voice against the howl of the storm.

"In one week you and I uncovered everything involving Rachel's disappearance. And we can find out why this tornado is hitting the bay just the same. We can stop it. Together."

Chloe listened to her with desperation, her clothes clung tightly to her damp body making her look small and exposed. Max could see that she wanted so much to believe in what she was saying. The punk was staring into her eyes as if the answer to everything lie there. Max took Chloe's hand into both of hers cradling it as if it was the most precious thing she had. She returned the anxious girl's penetrating gaze and spoke firmly.

"But I need you Chloe, the one that's with me now. The one that knows everything and has gone through everything with me. And…" Max ran her thumb over the back of Chloe's hand. "And knows exactly what she means to me."

Chloe's internal storm seem to slowly fade leaving behind a quiet understanding of what Max meant and she smiled squeezing Max's hand. "I love you Max, I trust you."

"I love you too Chloe." Max said almost breathlessly but not even the wind could take it away from Chloe's ears. She looked down feeling something being pushed into her hand by Max. It was the blue butterfly picture. The punk looked back into Max's eyes as she continued.

"You're coming with me. I won't ever leave you." Max stood beside Chloe and together they faced the raging storm as it began its rampage on the boats of the harbor. Together they watched the livelihoods of fishermen be carelessly swept aside as it had been before the tornado came. The swirling arms of the tempest plucked each hollow vessel from the bay and both of the girls saw them disappear one by one into oblivion.

Max had a plan. One that didn't involve her best friend dying in a cold bathroom, alone and confused, destined to become another casualty of Nathan's petulence. Max wouldn't allow her be just another footnote on Blackwell's record. She would take her with her, hold onto her so tightly that not even time could rip them apart.

Max absentmindedly shook her head to herself and smiled.

 _Where we're going, we don't need tornados_

She wasn't sure how she would pull this off but her power seemed to work off of her own will. Even time stood still at her command, once in a great need, when Kate jumped. If this wasn't a great need she couldn't imagine what else could be. Max nervously moved behind Chloe and she wrapped her arms around the taller girl hugging her from behind.

Even through the taller girl's sopping wet clothes Max could feel the warmth emanating from underneath. It was Chloe's unyielding and resolute spirit that kept that fire within her kindled. It was what drew Max to her like a moth to a wild blue flame, she loved her most for that. As long as that flame was lit she knew she could confront anything.

Chloe nestled into Max's arms and the shorter girl thought for a moment before speaking.

"You're going to have to...uh..ummm slouch down and hold the picture out in front of you so I can see it." Chloe sharply drew in a breath not being sure what to expect and let it out slowly as she followed Max's instructions.

"Aye Aye Super Max."

Max almost giggled at the thought of seeing how funny they must look like this. She rested her chin against Chloe's soaked shoulder and squinted at the picture. She could see the image blur and waver and hear the click of the shutter. She could feel Chloe tense up against her as she spoke out.

"Wait...did it just..."

Max couldn't reply as she felt the uneasy but familiar feeling of the world slinking out of existence only to reappear again.

The time jump was jarring as the howl of the wind abruptly ended replaced with the deafening sound of silence of the girl's bathroom. Max hugged herself feeling her dry clothes press up against her and she looked around finally peeking her head around the stalls. No Chloe. Max felt her chest heave with a sob that didn't come and instead weakly pushed out one word.

"Chloe?"

It's echo was nothing more than a hollow reverberation as it sought out something that could not be found. Max turned back and let her body go limp sliding down to the floor her back against the cold stall wall. The tears came staining Max's cheeks. They pattered softly on the tile floor carrying with them the only hope she had.

 _She hasn't come back with me. It didn't work and stupid me for thinking she would. I don't even understand how this power works. How could I think I woul-_

The restroom door opened. Max held her breath as time seemed to stand still until finally one word cut through the air. The only voice that could take all these fragmented pieces of chaos and put them back together.

"Max?"

Max's heart skipped a beat and pumped faster she scrambled up from the floor and turned the corner. Through her bleary eyes she only needed to make out the color blue as she let out a gasp. Chloe ran into Max sweeping up the weary girl into her arms and spinning her around hearing the brunette let out a tearful laugh, a mix of fear and relief.

"I thought you hadn't come, it hadn't worked, you didn't remember, that I would be mmphhghhhmmmm-"

Chloe concluded Max's stream of sorrow with a long passionate and desperate kiss holding the shorter girl tightly. Max surrendered herself to the moment as if setting down the burden of her power a moment. Her hand rose to Chloe's cheek to stroke it and hold their lips together. Their surroundings blurred like the edges of a photo, all that mattered was this moment. Chloe's embrace felt secure, her soft pink lips against her own felt perfect as if they had always belonged right where they were.

They broke for a moment, both of their eyes fluttering open. Max could feel Chloe's breath against hers as she gazed into the magnetic blue eyes that refused to release hers.

Max whispered "Wowz-"

The restroom door opened once again. Chloe turned towards the corner and held Max close against her with one arm as they hid from view. Max's turned her head up toward Chloe looking up at her as they came to the same realization together.

 _Nathan_

The haze of love drained from the punk's eyes as they began to flare with rage. Max, with her arms around Chloe's waist, squeezed and held her back from assaulting an unsuspecting Nathan.

"You can't." Max whispered curtly against Chloe's chest. The taller girl looked back down at Max with shock and then slowly, understanding as she nodded her reply.

"Hey, is that you bitch? Who's there?" Nathan called out to the couples hiding place.

Max stepped carefully away from Chloe and revealed herself appearing around the stall holding her arm with her other hand awkwardly. "Um. It's just me. What are you doing here? It's uh...the girls bathroom." Max's eyes peered down at the floor hoping that Chloe would go along with the ruse.

"What? Uh. I was suppose to meet someone. You seen her? Blue hair? Ratty looking wannabe punk chick?" Nathan replied looking at her with wild uncertain eyes.

Chloe gritted her teeth almost banging on the stall supporting her as she pressed up against it. However, Max answered for her.

"Actually, yeah. Just saw her leave in a big hurry. You might could still catch her though."

"Figures. Bitch backed down." Nathan spat as he threw open the door and disappeared.

Max waited for a moment expecting him to come back her eyes boring into the door. She didn't know why. She felt that any moment Nathan would return and start trying her and Chloe for target practice. But he never did. Chloe stepped out approaching Max from behind.

"I don't know how you handle all of this so well." Chloe said putting her hand on the shorter girl's shoulder. She could hear the admiration in Chloe's voice with a touch of awe.

Max turned to face her and smiled. "Well you make it so much easier." Chloe saw a sudden realization dawn on Max's face as she began to hop up and down excitedly.

"It worked! You came with me and you remember everything. This is a hard reset like what happened to me the first time I was here."

"Oh shit! You're right. Holy shitballs...All I could think about was how much I wanted to rip Nathan's head off." The punk put her hands on her hips puffing her chest out. "Captain Price, sailing the timeways now."

Chloe gave her a sideways smirk. "If you don't say it I will."

Max gave her a quizzical look until finally, she rolled her eyes and smiled as she answered.

"Partners in crime?"

"Only if you're my partner in time." Chloe replied with an impish grin that slowly melted into an enticing smile that made Max's stomach flutter.

"But...seriously Chloe, we need to go into full sleuth mode to figure out this storm or come Friday nothing will change."

Chloe's expression sobered up as the weight of the events of the last timeline they were in filtered back into her mind.

"I know Max. I'm just so happy that this actually worked. I thought that back there was the last time I'd ever…" Chloe trailed off but Max didn't need her to finish to understand. Max had thought that it would be the last time she would ever see Chloe again too except to watch her die again. She resolved herself to never let that thought cross her mind again. Of abandoning Chloe. She stared into the blue eyes that seemed to want nothing but her and said softly.

"I'll take you through a hundred timelines if I have to. I'll relive this week for the rest of my life. I'll warp space and time until everything is as it should be. Because I'll never leave you Chloe. I won't make the same mistake twice and I'm not going to abandon you like the others."

A small tear slid it's way down the blue haired girl's cheek. "Max...I…" She said wiping her face.

Max kissed her cheek where the tear had made it's mark and hugged her. They both stood there holding onto the only thing that seemed timeless. The smaller girl finally whispered.

"I'll look out for you." Max suddenly noticed they were still in the bathroom and that any moment someone could come in on them. She blushed and looked around. "Um. We should go back to my room and come up with a plan. At least get out of here." They separated and Chloe nodded sniffling. She paused and grinned seeing the redness in Max's face.

"Just in case someone busts in here and catches us eating each others faces too."

"Ugh. Why do you have to say it like that?" Max again looked over her shoulder eyeing the door that remained close. "Uh yeah that too though…" she said sheepishly with a small smile.

Another thought crossed her mind that hadn't occurred to her but she was now in a situation where it might matter. Altering time sometimes had its effects. The most prevalent for Max was a nose bleed here or there if she overdid herself. She scanned Chloe up and down carefully but to Max she appeared just as perfect as before. Nothing out of place. She had to be cautious however, she wouldn't let anything like that hurt Chloe.

A cheeky smile tugged at Chloe's lips as she tilted her head and hip to the side. "I would say take a picture it would last longer buuuut…"

Max groaned, still smiling, and swatted Chloe in the arm. "You're sooooo bad. No, I was trying to see if you're alright. I've never taken anyone with me before and I don't know if there are side effects or something."

Chloe shifted uncomfortably and she glanced down at the floor away from Max as she replied. "Um well, there is something."

Max placed her hand on the taller girl's arm in concern and spoke softly with worry.

"What...is it?"

"I really have to go pee."

"...Chloe!"


	2. The Fury and The Wallflower

Max pushed open the door that led to the front of Blackwell and Chloe followed close behind her. "This is hella crazy, It's really Monday." The punk said under her breath surveying the school yard in astonishment. Max followed her eyes seeing the familiar faces of students. Something felt off. The answer immediately came to mind, seeing as she was standing beside it. In this timeline she had never had to activate the fire alarm to save Chloe so the students were never herded out of the school.

Brooke was still here flying her drone and Stella seemed to be talking with another girl like she had before. The only group that she didn't remember was a group of boys sitting loosely around one of the picnic tables. Nothing seemed reality tearing though, so Max tugged on Chloe's hand breaking her trance. She didn't remember when she happen to take the taller girl's hand but she didn't want to let go. It felt like a sensitive chord holding her securely to this timeline. If she let Chloe go she was afraid she would float off like a lost balloon.

"Sorry Mad Max. I'm kinda new to the whole time traveling thing. We can go." Chloe said punctuating it with a squeeze of Max's hand. The brunette led them down the steps and they walked past the fountain on their way to the quiet sanctuary of Max's room. As they passed Stella, Max noticed the girl's eyes find their way down to the couple's intertwined hands. Her eyes rose to meet Max's. There was a hesitant question in them that Max neither had the time nor the inclination to answer but Chloe did shooting Stella a sly wink.

The pair headed toward the girls dorm. To Max everything seemed normal. It was strange being back at blackwell after everything. Mr. Jefferson hadn't been caught and Rachel was still missing. She would have to put everything right but first they had to see to the town. Max always enjoyed a good brainstorm session with Chloe. She knew that as kids they would have never guessed that their adventures would be like this.

They had almost made it to the steps that led to the walkway for the girl's dorms when they both heard a shout directed at them.

"Hey! Dykes! Stop!" Nathan was marching over to them with his shoulders up and fists clenched tightly. Chloe spun around to face him letting go of Max's hand and, the shorter girl reluctantly joined her. She instinctively placed the hand that Chloe had let go onto her other arm holding herself tightly.

 _Of course Nathan was still looking for Chloe_

Chloe stepped forward before Nathan could get any closer to them or, more importantly, to Max.

"What do you want? I don't want to talk anymore." Chloe said through clenched teeth trying to play it cool. Max smiled inwardly. She knew that Chloe was trying not to get into a fight for her sake even though she really wanted to hit Nathan. Max began to wonder if she really wanted Chloe to handle it peacefully. There was something oddly alluring about seeing Chloe stand there. She was so fearless in front of a psycho she knew had once killed her in another timeline.

"Oh, so you did pussy out like I thought. You better keep your mouth shut next time bitch talking about things you don't understand." He said sneering at her. The boys at the picnic table stopped talking amongst themselves watching for Chloe's next reaction. The punk stood her ground unwilling to be provoked but Nathan stepped closer. He jabbed a finger in the air behind her that was aimed at Max. Leering over Chloe's shoulder he continued menacingly.

"And this little cunt better watch out, she was trying to cover for oomff!" Chloe had hauled back a right hook that everyone but Nathan had spotted. He reeled back in shock holding the side of his face that began to redden.

"You're so de-" Nathan tried to sputter out but Chloe hit him again this time even harder in the nose and he only managed a "Fuck!" as he doubled over. He held his nose as blood started to trickle between his fingers. He started to back away clearly in a lot of pain. Chloe's eyes narrowed and she moved into the gap left by the would-be bully raising her arm again. She was done taking his bullshit. He had drugged her, he killed Rachel, and he just threatened Max. Nathan held his hand up in a feeble attempt to deflect the hit he knew was coming. Her bruised fist shot out but it stopped in mid air.

Chloe was confused. The air around her felt like it had turned to syrup and her fist had hit an invisible barrier. Something was in her peripheral. She slowly turned her head down to look at it. Max's hand was placed on her arm and the expression on her face was of complete focus and concentration. Then Chloe saw it. Everything seemed to be shifting in reverse. Chloe's jaw dropped and her mouth hung open as she looked around in wonderment. The boys at the picnic table sat back down, Brooke's drone retraced its path and a bird began to fly backwards. Chloe could see a hazy image of herself and Nathan regress until even he began to walk in reverse turning his early display of stomping over to them into a ridiculous looking moonwalk.

Then, in an instant everything returned to normal. The garbled sound of the world turning in reverse started to play forward making it comprehensible once again. "Whoa…" Chloe uttered in awe as her clenched fist flopped back down to her side. Max took her hand and hurriedly led her toward the girl's dorm.

"Hurry before he sees us this time." Max insisted as she guided Chloe down the walkway. They turned the corner now standing in the entrance to the courtyard of the girls dorm. Both of them stopped and Chloe looked back at where they came from and then back at Max in amazement.

"That was...so hardcore Max. You're a freakin time lord! It was like whoosh and" Chloe began to make rewind sounds with her mouth, "Then I went...? Or it was like a ghost of me? It went all kung fu on Nathan in reverse." Chloe smiled her mouth open in wonder at the smaller girl as she continued excitingly "I always believed you but i mean actually seeing it? So...totally...Amazeballs." Chloe's eyes grew comically wider after each word. Max blushed and looked away idly swinging her arms by her sides. Finally, she smiled back at Chloe and let out a small chuckle.

"It was hella cool huh? I mean I just thought I would try it. I put my hand on you and pictured you coming back with me." Max's tone became softer, "...I didn't want to rewind without you." There was a tender look on Chloe's face as Max said that. Only Chloe could look at her like that and she felt her heart melt into a puddle. There were these rare moments when the punk dropped her guard and revealed the vulnerable girl underneath. The one that just wanted someone to truly care about her. The Chloe of five years ago hadn't disappeared when Max left she thought, but just hid away unable to deal with everything that had happened to her.

The taller girl came in closer and reflexively Max moved to meet her. There was something inside Max that made her gravitate toward her. Even as kids she found Chloe's energy intoxicating. She had always considered herself a wallflower, but she had liked it that way. All she wanted to do sometimes was to simply watch her blue fury without influencing anything, as if making a move would interrupt a delicate spell.

 _Hers. That was new. Was Chloe...hers?_

"Why do you have to be so sweet?" Chloe said warmly interrupting her thoughts and cupping Max's cheek with her hand.

Max stammered. "I dunno…" She pressed her cheek against the hand reveling in the touch and placed her own on Chloe's hip. She wanted more of this hidden girl. An ache that she had never felt before emerged as her breathing became shallow. She wanted Chloe to her touch her more. But like this. Only her. Suddenly, Chloe saw the brunette gasp. "Chloe! Your hand!"

"Huh?" The punk hadn't realized it until now but her hand was throbbing. The knuckles were red and there were a few patches of broken skin that were bleeding. "Oh shit. I guess not everything rewinds?"

"No, everything about your body and anything in your possession still stays with you when you go back. As far as I can tell I can't rewind injuries, but I don't know for sure I've never tried to rewind specific things before. That's why you have to be careful." Max explained as she turned Chloe's hand over in hers inspecting it gingerly.

"I'm sorry Super Max. It's my first rewind and I'm already screwing things up… I always do." Chloe lamented looking down at the ground as the brunette continued to examine her hand.

Max's eyes shot up for a moment giving Chloe a stern look. "Hey, hey don't talk like that."

She gave her a reassuring smile. "You were so badass back there." The punk returned her smile.

"I did make him my bitch right? I got a battle wound now. Like a punk street fighter. Owww! Hey easy on the goods Caulfield."

Max chuckled. "Top heavyweight champion for sure. But for real it doesn't look broken, you just need to get some ice on it. We have some inside off of the common room."

Chloe cocked her head to the side. "Did you just call me fat?"

Max leaned forward planting a quick peck on her cheek and whispered. "No, I called you the best."

Chloe looked as if her comment had caught her off guard her cheeks flushing pink. Max saw a devious thought drift through the taller girl's eyes for a moment. She bit her lip subconsciously and spoke low, "Oh, well in that case-"

"Chloe?"

The blue haired girl spun around wresting her battered hand away from the brunette and quickly hid it behind her back. Max's eyes darted up quickly to see that David had caught sight of them and was headed their way. How much had he seen? The kiss?

"Uh hey David." Chloe was trying her best to look innocent but David wasn't buying it.

"What are you doing over here at Blackwell?" He said crossing his arms. Max could see Kate walking by behind him. She was relieved, at least in this timeline she didn't have to endure David hassling her. Chloe squinted at him and raised her good hand in a shrug.

"I can be here. It isn't curfew yet."

"Oh yeah? Who's this?" David replied studying the hipster at the taller girl's side. This was sometimes the hardest part of time travel mused Max. No one remembered anything after rewinds so she ended up having to relive moments or repeat herself, sometimes over and over. She could only imagine how impatient Chloe might be getting.

To Max's surprise she played it cool. "This is Max. She's my best friend. She moved away, but now she's back to attend Blackhell."

David ignored the creative use of the school's name as he pressed on. "I thought Rachel was…" He stopped as soon as he saw a pained expression on Chloe's face. "Ah, I'm sorry Chloe. I just want to keep up with you, ya know? I don't want to see you in trouble."

The taller girl met his eyes and for the first time they exhibited understanding. "I know David, but I'm telling you the truth. I came to see Max at her dorm so we could hang out for a couple hours, okay? We haven't see each other in forever."

David looked stunned for a second at Chloe's new attitude and then nodded curtly before looking around. He seemed satisfied with her explanation, especially since he tended not to receive them often. "Well, I better get back to it then." He turned to Max, "Good to meet you Max." then back to Chloe, "I'll see you back at home. Carry on." And with that he left heading back to the main campus building.

Chloe and Max began walking towards the entrance to the girls dorm side by side. The shorter girl bumped her hip against the taller one flashing her a grin.

"Okay what have you done with the _real_ Chloe Price? Did you come out of some kind of alternate dimension back there when I rewound?"

Chloe feigned a look of shock the corner of her mouth tilting up into a smile. "Whatever do you mean my dearest friend?" She fluttered her lashes at Max. "I am" she mimicked a robotic tone, "insert obligatory hella here, Chloe Price."

Max rolled her eyes. "You are so obvious. I had you at friend. I am so much more than that."

Chloe raised her hands in surrender. "You caught me Sheriff Max. But maybe we could take some time later to explore exactly what we are." She said waggling her eyebrows coyly at Max giving her a goofy smile.

The brunette felt her cheeks warm. She had been wondering what exactly Chloe and her were. She hadn't thought she needed a label. She stopped walking and tried to sound smooth and confident as she shot a devious smile back at the punk.

"I know you're mine."

It seemed to work because the blue haired girl came to a stop and turned to her. She appeared to struggle with what to say back her face becoming serious. When she finally spoke her words sounded thoughtful and tender. "And you're mine Caulfield." She tilted her head down as she said it with her eyes looking up at the shorter girl. Max felt mesmerized by that gaze as if someone had finally noticed the flower on the wall and to Chloe it looked like the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She felt the longing ache return but it was interrupted by an obnoxious, but familiar voice.

"Oh my god, you two need to get a room or something." Victoria called out wearing her signature smug smirk. Victoria and her entourage were sitting on the steps of the dorm as they had been once before. The couple had stopped in the middle of the yard in ear shot of the chatting girls.

"I think that's what they were trying to do." Courtney added with a snicker.

Max groaned in embarrassment and spoke aside to Chloe so that only she could hear her.

"Last time I had to use my power to get them out of the way, they won't move."

Chloe's eyebrows knitted together in thought as she scanned the yard. An impish smile slowly began to spread on her face as her eyes finally laid to rest on something in the bushes. The three girls looked at the punk inquisitively.

Chloe whispered back to Max. "Go stand over there by the spigot and wait for my signal."

Max did as Chloe asked awkwardly making her way to the valve that was connected to a garden hose. The punk sauntered over to the unattended hose.

"We're not letting you two freaks in so you can diddle each other." Victoria watched Chloe pick up the water hose nonchalantly. "So...so you should find somewhere else." she continued this time her words losing their sting.

Max watched in quiet amazement as Chloe twirled the end of the hose around in her hand as she positioned herself in front of the steps.

"What the hell are you doing with that?" Asked Taylor now clearly sounding alarmed.

"I just thought since we got you all hot and bothered I'd cool you all off." The punk aimed the hose at Victoria. The snobby girl had a look of disbelief then horror as Chloe bellowed.

"Fire!"

"Aye Aye Captn' " Max replied, her hand already on the valve, she began to quickly turn it. Max heard the girls start to scream and felt herself grin wide as she watched Chloe make a sweeping motion with the nozzle. The gushing water drenched the fleeing girls as they tried to dodge but the punk placed her thumb against the opening making the blast fan out and shoot farther.

The brunette was laughing uncontrollably now, her arms wrapped around her stomach, as she watched in amusement. Chloe's aim chased the preppy girls as the blue fury made them dance.

As Max watched, she thought to herself how much she really enjoyed being able to rewind with Chloe. She had shared everything with her as kids and going back in time with her seemed like the next logical step.

Finally, Max turned the spigot off and the tall girl dropped the hose to the ground. The soaked students, who were now off of the steps, were huddled together trembling. Chloe couldn't hear their whining as she laughed maniacally.

"You can't do this!" Sputtered Victoria as a puddle began to form around her feet. Her hair was matted against her forehead and her clothes were dripping. She gestured wildly towards Samuel who had shuffled over to them. "He saw everything, and I'm going to let Principal Wells know what you did. I hope you get suspended Max!"

"Oh no. Students don't need watering. No...no" mumbled Samuel quietly to himself.

"Can't you get us a towel or something? Jesus!" Courtney Wailed.

Max wasn't listening either as she took Chloe by the hand and led her up the stairs. "Cmon' Buffalo Bill, we have to go."

"You can't leave!" Victoria said stamping her foot in her own personal puddle. Chloe allowed Max to carry her away. She turned back to wave goodbye with a wiggle of her fingers. "Ugh!"

Once inside the two pranksters stopped, and Chloe turned to Max who was still giggling. She raised her hand in the air in an arm wrestling position and tipped her head to the side with a playful smirk.

"Shall we?"

"We shall." Max said with a sharp nod grinning the entire time. The brunette clasped the punk's hand and concentrated. The world around them began to shift bending to the girls' will. They both watched through the small window pane of the door as a ghostly image of the duo reenacted their display in reverse. Max ended the rewind to just after they finished the conversation with David. She definitely wanted him to remember having at least one good conversation with his step daughter.

As soon as time began it's natural course again, Chloe pulled Max into a tight squeeze swaying the smaller girl side to side. "Max, we are unstoppable! The world is going to bow!"

The brunette wrapped her arms around the taller girl and giggled. "Dude, you are so out of control."

"You know you like it hippie."

"Maybe."

"Saaaaay it."

"Ok...maybe a little."

Max was smiling contentedly with her body melded into Chloe's, as if they were made to fit together like two human puzzle pieces. She had her cheek resting against the punk's chest. The slow rise and fall was comforting and for a moment Max didn't feel anxious about the future. Chloe planted a soft kiss in the smaller girl's hair and whispered.

"Nurse Max?"

"Hmmm?"

"Ice please."

"Oh right."


	3. The Prescott Connection

Much to Chloe's chagrin, Max had to clean the broken skin on her knuckles before applying ice. "Stings." Is all the punk could muster as she poked her bottom lip out in what Max thought was an adorable pout. They stood over the sink that was situated on the far side of the common room. It wasn't much to look at but it had a fridge and a microwave. They had the room to themselves which Max was glad for. She sometimes saw girls in here watching a movie on the tv but never joined them.

"You are so adorable." She had said that to another Chloe in another time. Max didn't want to admit it to herself and she would never to Chloe, but the blue haired fury did have a penchant for getting hurt. She had said to Max that it was the universe trying to kill her as if it had some kind of sick list and a schedule to keep. She didn't mind being the punk's guardian angel because Chloe was certainly her bodyguard.

Max was relieved to be able to rewind with Chloe because at least it allowed her to protect her easier unless she needed to rewind an injury. She felt that she should have rewound the one she was now cleaning. However, it didn't seem right to take the only semblance of justice that Chloe could have away from her. That, and she wanted to see if Chloe could join her for normal rewinds instead of only time jumps.

Chloe made her voice sound like it was coming over a radio, "Control to Max psshhhh. Do you read me? Over."

"Huh?" Max was startled out of her thoughts. Her face must have been illustrating what she was thinking because Chloe was looking at her with concern. "Whaddya want now control?" She replied giving Chloe her best 'I'm alright' smile.

"I think my hand is dry now Mad Max." She hadn't realized it, but she had been drying the girl's hand in a towel for a few minutes now as her mind wandered off. "What's floatin' around up there? Something about me I hope." She said it teasingly but Max could still hear her words carrying a worried tone.

"Sorry. And Kinda." Max said giving her a tiny smile as the punk perked up at that. The small girl's smile faded as she continued in a more sorrowful tone that almost sounded pleading. "You only time jumped with me once. But I've done it before. The times I told you about when I actually changed something. Those alternate timelines where things were a lot different." Chloe was listening intently now and she could tell this was difficult for Max. She took the struggling girl's hand in her own.

"Go on Max. You can tell me anything. I'm here." Chloe's sincerity made the brunette choke out a sob of gratitude as tears began to slowly flow from her eyes. Chloe pulled her into a tight embrace. Max wrapped her arms around Chloe allowing the taller girl to support her as she buried her face into her shoulder.

"I told you about what happen in them but not how it felt. It was like another world. It was alien, like I wasn't myself and you weren't you. I was trying to make everything better, now here I am again and it all feels so temporary. What if I can't fix this?"

"Things are different now. In those other timelines you didn't have me helping you. We can do it together. You don't have to carry all of this alone" She was stroking Max's hair now lovingly as she whispered her reassurances in the small girl's ear.

Max pressed her glistening eyes deeper into Chloe's shirt "You don't know the difference it makes just having you be able to come with me. I love you just as you are. I feel like I've done this too many times I just need something stable. Something real."

Chloe's eyes had begun to tear up and she tried to push them away. One escaped her attempt and fell slowly against her cheek. She couldn't imagine what Max had really gone through, and for her nonetheless. She couldn't see why. She had always thought of herself as a burn out. At times she even considered ending it all. No one would have cared except maybe Rachel. Now here Max was, slingshotting through time and space just to find a solution that didn't involve her having to die.

"I'm never leaving you." Chloe replied with a teary voice. She sniffled, "I remember right after Dad left, before he got into the accident, you were acting all weird. You told me that no matter what happened that I had to be strong. That you would never abandon me." Max stopped sobbing for a moment and pulled her face up towards Chloe. They both looked into each others tear filled eyes.

"That was you from now…when you went back..." Chloe said with hushed understanding. Max nodded meekly, "You don't know how many days those words got me through. When you left for Seattle I didn't understand. I thought you had abandoned me but now I understand. I'll be strong for you Max." The blue haired fury wiped her cheek against her arm.

She cupped the small girl's face in her hands and gently wiped her tears away with her thumbs. "Let's get that ice, alright nurse Max?" The brunette smiled at her and nodded. Max was about to pull away from Chloe when she noticed Alyssa standing in the doorway to the common room. She opened her mouth to say something but it never came as Max's hand shot out and Alyssa slowly retreated in reverse. The door closed itself and time continued counter clockwise for a few more minutes before the brunette lowered her hand and sighed.

"I so don't have time for that." she said looking at Chloe with a serious face before the two broke into giggling. Max opened the refrigerator's freezer and stared at the ice tray dumbfounded. "What do I put the ice in for your hand?"

Chloe wandered over to her and stuck her face in the freezer for a moment before pulling out a pack of frozen peas. She held it up and squinted at it with her lips scrunched up to one side. "Who eats these? Honestly, I'm doing someone a favor. This'll work." She held the frozen pack of vegetables to her hand as they left the common room passing Alyssa who went in after them.

The pair made their way up the stairs to Max's floor. They stood in front of the door that led to her room and Max opened it bowing and performing a flourish with her hands. Chloe walked in and made a dramatic show of clutching her chest with her hand. "The secret sanctuary of Bat Max."

"You are such a dork." Max replied with a smile.

"Well it sure is cozy…" Chloe trailed off as her eyes caught the sight of Max's photo collage that covered the wall above her bed. The brunette watched her. She seemed drawn to it as if something was hidden in the collection of pictures that not even Max knew about. She crawled on the bed to get a closer look tucking her legs underneath her as she sat down. Max closed the door behind her and smiled at the punk. She liked how fast Chloe got comfortable surrounded by all her things. Even with the ashtrays, beer bottles, and random clutter, Chloe's room always felt comforting because it had pieces of her there. She hoped Chloe felt the same about her room.

Chloe finally spoke her words filled with awe, "Max you're so talented." She turned back to look at the brunette, "After you save the world, get the girl, and they give you key to the city, you have to become a famous photographer."

"I'll add it to the list." She replied flopping down next to Chloe. The punk pointed at the guitar that was resting against the couch across from them.

"Duuuude. A guitar? You play?!" She asked almost in a squeel.

Max blushed and shrugged. "I can a little. Like I know a few songs."

"That is soooo cool. You have to play for me some time." Her eyes continued to wander around the room and Max watched her trying to gauge her opinion. Finally, Chloe looked back at her sheepishly. "Sorry, I was distracted by Maximo's House of Hipster. We should get down to business."

"Alright, so what do we know?"

Chloe pressed the frozen peas against her hand and thought for a moment. "We know that a lot of the shit we have points to the Prescotts being involved somehow. I mean Sean Prescott is basically a James Bond villain so…"

Max chuckled. "Well yeah. We did find a few things I'd like to take a look at again knowing what we know now." She reached into her bag pulling out her journal. She scooted back on the bed leaving a gap between her and Chloe that she started to fill with pieces of paper that she had collected. "So let's see…" She shifted through the pieces, "There is some information we found on Harry Aaron Prescott who I think may be Sean's father. Then we have Martin Lewis Prescott who could be Sean's grandfather. Sean left a note to Nathan about how he would guide him into some room like it was destiny."

"That could be referencing the dark room?" Chloe placed her hand on Max's leg for comfort as she said it. Max nodded solemnly. "We do know that during the bomb shelter boom Harry made a lot of money making them so maybe he made the one underneath his barn for a special purpose."

Max's hand rose to her mouth. "Could they have been doing this for that long?"

Chloe gave her leg a gentle squeeze. "I don't know but we are going to find out. What else?"

"Well…" Max began hesitantly, "This is an email that Sean sent Nathan. It's the biggest piece of evidence we have." She handed Chloe a piece of paper that was neatly folded.

The blue haired girl opened it and began to read silently her brow wrinkled in concentration as her eyes scanned left to right. As she read the line that Max thought was the most revealing her eyes grew wider.

"You didn't show this to me before. 'This shithole town is going to get an enema…'" She began to read out loud, "'Along with a fresh brand.'" She glanced back up at Max. "This sounds like he knows the storm is coming and he is going to take advantage of it. He even has a storm bunker to wait it out in, the slimy bastard." She laid the note back down on the bed between them and stretched out propping herself against the wall.

"I know it sounds stupid…" Began Max, "But what if Sean didn't predict the storm? What if he caused it?"

"I was only half kidding about the Bond villain thing Bat Max." Chloe replied readjusting the peas on her hand.

"Okay so hear me out." The brunette continued, "We know that a lot of people blame the Prescotts for a lot of things that are happening around Arcadia Bay but what if they are right? What if they are doing all of this on purpose like with the fish in the bay?"

The punk listened patiently and then leaned her head back against the wall. She stared at the ceiling mulling it over.

"You mean, what if this was a long running plan? Starting as far back with Harry or even Martin Prescott? Like…" She scratched her head through her beanie an idea forming behind her eyes, "Like they did all of these things so that they could mold the city into what they wanted it to be, and the storm is just another step?"

Max nodded as Chloe came to the same conclusion she had. "Pan estates. The fishermen won't return after the storm, because they don't even have work now. A lot of things will need to be rebuilt and the buildings that probably will be left standing, like Blackwell, are already owned by them. They could remake the town in their own image after this."

"I don't mean to put a dent into that idea but I don't think daddy Prescott has some kind of tornado generator lying around. Whip up a whirlpool in 3 easy steps just add water."

"Well what about all the eco disasters? We know that every day this week they only get worse. No one has an explanation for that either."

The two started to bounce their ideas off of each other while Max dug through all her photos and everything else that they had printed. After some time her bed began to mirror the collection on the wall above it. Chloe wandered around poking at things as they talked.

She held up a picture that Max had brought from Seattle. It was of her with Kristen and Fernando. "Friends of yours? From Seattle?"

"Yeah. I mean I hung out with them sometimes." The brunette replied trying to sound indifferent.

The fury gave her a smirk as she put the photo back. "Don't worry Max, you're allowed to have friends, as long as I'm your favorite." She said with a wink. She pressed her fingers against the picture of the space needle and added softly. "I just missed you." She lingered there for a moment before finding an open spot on the bed that wasn't taken.

"I was a real shitty friend for not calling but I didn't choose to leave. I couldn't tell my parents no. But that's no excuse. I have a choice now and I'm trying to make it up to you." Max could see that her words helped but that it would take time for Chloe to fully internalize them. She knew that Chloe was used to being abandoned and that she had been the one to start the trend.

The tall girl just nodded and replied, "I know you are Max. I see you trying so hard. We should focus on the case not my stupid bullshit. There is something that is still bothering me. Something that doesn't add up."

Max waited expectantly and it seemed to her that Chloe was hesitant to continue. Chloe always got like this when she knew Max wasn't going to like hearing what she had to say. She never had a problem speaking her mind but Max knew that she had a caring heart underneath it all.

"What does the dark room have to do with any of this? I feel like it's a crucial piece of the puzzle and we don't know where it fits into all this. Why would Sean build a bunker just so Jeffershit and Nathan could take pervy pictures of innocent girls? Why would he risk his whole evil empire on a sick hobby?"

Max stood up and Chloe watched her pace back and forth on her keep calm and carry on rug.

She was fidgeting with her hands anxiously. "I don't know." She finally admitted with a sigh.

"I hate to say this Max, but we need to go back there. We have to pore over every scrap of paper even those binders. I didn't give you a chance to go into full on detective mode because we found those pictures... the pictures of Rachel." Chloe chewed on her lip and set the bag of peas aside.

Max had ceased her pacing as she was now staring a hole into the rug. She crossed her arms twisting her small frame in on itself. She had never told Chloe what Jefferson had done to her in that awful room. However, Chloe had seen pictures of what had happen to the other girls so she could only guess what her best friend had to suffer through. The fury could feel a pang that pulled at her heart, a mixture of anger and sadness. Chloe stood up and came up behind her wrapping her arms around the small girl in a hug from behind.

"Max...I'll protect you. I'll be watching your back and be right there with you the whole time. When we're done you can just rewind or time jump us out? Like we were never there and their won't be any evidence that's disturbed when step-douche comes to bust them."

"It's so hard to even think about going back to that place Chloe." Max said faintly her voice cracking. She uncrossed her arms so that she could hold onto Chloe's.

"I fucked up so bad last time. I let Jefferson lead me into that trap because I was so angry I couldn't think straight. I got you hurt Max. I won't let that happen again." She said squeezing Max closer.

"It wasn't your fault. He tricked us both." The couple stood there in the embrace for a few minutes not saying a word before Max turned around in Chloe's arms to look at her. "I think you're right. There are answers there that we need. To figure out why all of this happened. To Rachel, Kate...and me."

"We'll face it together. I won't let you be afraid of that place anymore." Chloe whispered to her as she came in closer. Their lips met and Max stepped up on the tip of her toes so she could press her lips harder against the punk's. She moved her hand along the back of Chloe's neck pulling her down to her as her fingers dived through her blue locks.

Chloe's lips felt heavenly against her own as she pulled back for a breath only to have them collide back with hers moments later. The fury nibbled on her bottom lip invoking a small moan from the brunette and causing her to open her eyes. She saw Chloe's gazing into her own. There was something there that she had never seen in her eyes before. A volatile mixture of love and desire that had erupted from the punks heart. She felt the taller girl's hands rubbing against her sides through her shirt and then around to the small of her back. She pushed her body against Chloe's signaling that she was enjoying her touch.

"Mmmm Max…" The way that Chloe said it made Max's heart pump faster and her stomach felt like a butterfly had been trapped there. It made the brunette shiver and she kissed her one last time holding it longer before reluctantly pulling away and taking a breath.

"I really want this Chloe. I want you." The punk smiled her eyes lighting up. "But…" She continued as Chloe expression turned to uncertainty. "We should go while I'm feeling brave or I never will." The punk relaxed, she had thought she had done something wrong.

"You are such a tease Max Caulfield." Chloe replied with a playful smirk. "Alright, let's get out of here before I maul you."

Max pulled away and began to collect her journal and the scattered evidence. Chloe had picked up her mushy bag of peas and was waiting for her at the door. The small girl looked at her with a shy smile and asked timidly, "But when we get back can I have more of that? Something to look forward to."

Chloe opened the door for her and smiled. "Of course and maybe a little more…" Before Max could ask what she meant by more she felt a light pinch on her butt that made her gasp and let out a small squeak. Chloe just chuckled as they left the dorm.


	4. The Fury in Your Head

She tried to think of anything else except their destination, but Max couldn't shake the foreboding feeling. At least her and Chloe hadn't ran into any more trouble on their way to her truck. Chloe was quiet as she drove. Max assumed that she simply didn't know what she could say to make this trip any better. Max finally broke the silence trying to remain positive.

"It's weird but I don't feel drained like I usually do when I use my power."

Chloe tried to stifle a yawn before replying, "Maybe you are getting stronger. Like the more you do it the longer you can go?"

"Maybe…" She said unsure of the answer. "Must have leveled up my time lord endurance stat." The brunette added with a small snort.

"Nerd alert." Chloe replied with a teasing smirk as she glanced over at the brunette.

Max looked out the window as they entered town. "I hate the idea of going back to the dark room but there is something else that has me creeped out more. The thought of going to class tomorrow...how can I sit in the same room with Jefferson when I know what he is? What he has done to me?" She looked back over to Chloe with distress.

The punk met her eyes and held out her hand for Max to take. The brunette curled her fingers with Chloe's.

"Don't worry about that. I'll find a way to take care of it so that you don't have to. All I want you to focus on is what we need to take care of at the dark room. One step at a time Mad Max." Chloe directed her attention back to the road. She had a determined gleam in her eye that she often had when her and Max set out to do something risky. It had always made her feel safe even as kids, as if Chloe could deal with anything.

"So tell me more about your power. We are getting into some heavy shit and I don't want to mess anything up. Now that I'm rewinding with you, I need to know how it all works so I know your limitations. Everything you know."

Max scooted across the seat so that she could be closer to Chloe while still holding her hand. She was happy that Chloe was taking this more seriously and viewing her power less as a toy and more as a tool to be used with care.

"Well the annoying part is that I'm discovering more about it from experience. Would have been helpful if that blue butterfly had left me a manual. So what I know about it changes all the time. I have some basic things though that seem consistent enough."

Max found herself snuggling into the tall girl's side as she spoke. She felt like she was slowly bringing the old Chloe back as time went on. Everything seem to be returning to those days and it made her feel more comfortable. The blue haired girl looked at her sideways with a mischievous smile while she continued to drive .

"Hmmmm you're really distracting you know that? You're suppose to be briefing me Maxaroni. Please?"

"Sorry…" muttered Max with a blush.

 _Not sorry_

"Well, first things first as I mentioned before, items in your possession travel back in time with you but that also means that anything that happens to your body travels back with you as well."

"Try not to get shot or stabbed, got it."

Max frowned at that but went on, "There is usually a limit to what I can rewind. The most I've been able to push to has been about five minutes or so. When I hit that limit, time can't be rewound past that point. The weird thing is that I feel like that limit has grown. Back there with Victoria, I turned back a little more time than I usually can and I didn't reach my limit before stopping."

"Huh, well let's say it's five minutes to be on the safe side."

"Also, using my power is draining. The day that we used it a lot in the junkyard I felt like I overdid myself. Later when I needed to save Kate it stopped working all together."

"So rest and snacks for the Max."

"Duh, that's always a given." Max snarked.

"Brat." Chloe quipped letting out a small chuckle.

Max could see they were now reaching the end out of town. It wouldn't be much longer before they would reach Harry's old country house and the dark room. They had both agreed that Chloe would park the truck before they reached the turnoff so that it wouldn't be spotted. Max continued her time powers 101 lesson.

"Well, you've been with me through a time jump. There is normally only a moment of time that I can interact with before I'm brought back to the present. This last time was more of a hard reset. We remained in the same timeline without skipping ahead. Maybe it was because you came with me."

"Could be." Chloe shrugged before glancing over at Max, "You could take a picture before we get out of the truck, and then we can use it to jump back safe and sound when we are done.

Max nodded. She began to notice that the town was fading away behind them as the scenery turned to forest. Max felt a tightness in her chest. A snake had slithered out of a dark hole within herself. A place that she didn't like to acknowledge was there, that still haunted her.

 _Hold that stare there! Stay Still!_

The viper began to wrap itself around her heart and slowly squeeze. They were leaving the town behind them and each mile signaled the snake to constrict harder. Her mind felt like it was beginning to race in a dozen different directions, stumbling in the dark, each concluding that something terrible would befall them.

 _What if Jefferson catches us there? Could we get trapped? I might not be fast enough. Jefferson stopped me from rewinding before….what if Chloe gets hurt. I...I can't watch her die again. Please._

"Max…" She could hear the tenderness in Chloe's voice. "You're shaking. It's going to be alright. I'm here." She felt the punk let go of her hand so she could wrap her arm around her small quivering frame. The snake began to uncoil itself ever so slightly causing Max to draw a sharp breath and let it out quickly.

"What...if...I'm not strong enough Chloe?" Her own voice sounded as if it was coming from some place far away, barely a whisper on the edge of sound. She felt herself sinking into Chloe's embrace as if it was a place she could hide herself away in.

"You're like the strongest person I know Max." Chloe rubbed the brunette's side to reassure her. She leaned over planting a few soft kisses on the side of her head. "You saved my life so many times, you saved Kate's, you've already stopped Jefferson and Nathan once before. If you're not strong enough then no one is."

Max clasped her hands together in her lap. "I wish I could be more like you. You're never afraid. I don't know how you do it. Even when I told you about the times you were shot." She said staring down at her feet.

There was a silence and Max could hear Chloe take a breath and swallow before she replied, "Max sometimes…" her voice sounded as if it was treading on untested ground, "Sometimes I am afraid. The things I am afraid of aren't always physical, so you don't see them. Sometimes living can be just as scary as dying. When you have to live with or through something. There were days where I thought dying would be easier."

Max looked over to her placing her hand on the punk's leg. She hesitated a moment before asking, "What are you afraid of?" A frightened look came over Chloe's face. Her mouth was open, as if to give voice to a thought that her mind was trying to decide was safe to reveal. She turned her eyes away from Max her expression a combination of vulnerability and shame.

"I am afraid I'm going to be too much trouble. You're only doing all of this because you don't want me to die. But...it would be easier if I did. It would be easier on everyone. I feel like I'm just waiting on you to figure that out too."

"...That isn't true."

Chloe still wasn't making eye contact, her eyes were locked on the road. "I am just afraid you're doing all of this because you feel guilty for leaving and you feel like you owe me. What happens when it's all over? You might get tired of me. Tired of my bullshit. If you haven't noticed I have a lot of it."

"I'm never giving up on you Chloe. You mean so much to me. Much more than you know. I just suck at expressing it. I always feel like I'm going to say the wrong thing."

Chloe chuckled and smiled shaking her head in disbelief. "You do so much better than you give yourself credit for. She looked over to Max, hoping that what she had said hadn't hurt her, "I'm sorry that I get these stupid thoughts."

Max leaned over giving the girl an affectionate peck on the cheek. "I'm the one that asked. I don't want their to be any secrets between us."

The pair drove the rest of the way in a much more comfortable silence. Max still felt like this whole affair was dreadful, but connecting with Chloe had made her feel better. Chloe's fears were something that Max could actually allay. They pulled the truck over just before they reached the road that Harry Prescott's house was on.

"Alright selfie time. How do you want me to pose?" Chloe asked as she shoved her keys in her pocket. Max scrounged around in her bag for a moment before pulling her camera out. She smiled and wrapped her arm around the punk's neck pulling her in close.

"Like this." Max drew their faces close and Chloe lingered a moment gazing into the brunette's eyes. There was a sensitivity to it but also a flash of playfulness that Max was beginning to grow very fond of. It was as if a whole conversation was transmitted between them in a split second and everything they wanted to tell each other was said. Chloe finally pushed in locking her lips with Max's.

The camera's flash went off but the kiss didn't quite end as the polaroid dangled in the air. As they began to part, their lips still close to each others, Max felt Chloe drag her tongue across her bottom lip seductively. The fury let out a small moan appreciating the taste. Max's heart skipped a beat. She had provoked that from someone? She never thought she was capable. Her face felt hot and she knew there was no way that Chloe couldn't see her cheeks burning.

"I'm kinda hoping like your thumb got into the shot so we can take another." Chloe said with a grin. Max plucked the photo from the camera giving it a shake and inspected it. Even with the kiss the shot was angled well in her opinion. It was exactly what she had been feeling, all thousand words that had been spoken silently between them had been captured in a moment of time.

Max gave her a smirk and replied, "Nope it's perfect." Chloe gave her a feigned pout and got out of the truck holding the door open for her. Max scooted out and Chloe closed the door behind her. The couple began to make their way up the road toward the Prescott house.

"Don't worry, if we see Nathan or Jefferson I still have my gun so I'll shoot em'. Then you rewind and I'll do it again and then we can keep that up until you get bored." Chloe said as she pulled out David's revolver.

"I don't want to kill anyone Chloe." Max replied as she placed a hand on her other arm. She eyed the gun in the taller girl's hand anxiously.

"Oh alright hippie. I'll only shoot him once. But I'm totally aiming for the dick."

Max let out a small but nervous laugh. She did appreciate that Chloe was trying to take her mind off of what they were about to do. "Don't even joke about that. I hope no one is there."

"Me too Bat Max." Chloe concluded quietly.

The two girls took a shortcut through the woods and it wasn't very long until they could see the barn in the distance. It looked even more ominous than the first time but much to Max's relief no one was parked outside. The couple entered through the hole in the side of the barn as they had the first time. Max had to redo breaking the padlock using the leftover pulleys. She tied the rope to the old engine and kicked it as she had done previously. She made her way down and Chloe was giving her a knowing smile.

"So that's how you did it Maxgyver."

"Yep, I had to rewind to get the engine back in place so I could...wait. You saw that? Just now?"

"Of course I did silly…" It took a moment for Chloe to realize why Max had asked and now was wearing this curious look. "I mean I did. I just rewound with you." A giddy smile slowly began to tug at her lips. "And you didn't even have to hold on to me. I just got chills. This is sooo cool."

"I'm just glad this thing is finally working out in my favor." Max said dryly. She didn't like surprises, especially ones that involved her power but at least this one seemed good.

Chloe put her hand on the small girl's shoulder still grinning. "I keep telling you, it's fate. Even your power knows." She glanced down at the metal hatch that led to the dark room her smile slowing falling into a stubborn grimace. "I'll go first, let's get the evidence we need." Max watched as Chloe opened the hatch revealing the stairs that now looked as if they led straight down to hell itself. The brunette lagged behind allowing the taller girl to go first as they descended into the bunker.

Max swallowed hard forcing down the lump in her throat that seem to be building while she watched Chloe punch in the code to the bunker door. She pulled it open and looked back at Max seeing the terror in her eyes. She approached the brunette who had come to a halt. Her legs were refusing to budge as every fiber of her body wanted to run in the opposite direction. Chloe took her hand interlocking their fingers.

"I won't let anything hurt you here Max. You have to be strong for me now. I need you Super Max."

Max knew that Chloe was right. They had to figure out this storm and the answers they were seeking could be here. She nodded solemnly drawing herself up and forced herself to enter the dark room still holding onto Chloe for support.

 _Oh Max. This angle highlights your purity, see?_

She could hear the words dripping from the walls. There was no one here but she felt something clawing at the back of her mind. Max shook her head trying to shake herself out of the mental trap that threatened to snap shut on her.

"I'll be right here. I'll keep an eye on the door. No one is getting past me. Take all the time you need…" Chloe smiled slyly, "Uh no pun intended. If anything comes through that door I'm blowing it away."

Max just nodded as she began to carefully investigate the room. It looked the same to her, even the equipment hadn't been moved. She tried to be as thorough as she could searching each cabinet and equipment case. This seemed almost like a waste of time as she checked every nook and cranny. She decided to tackle the hardest part last as she stood in front of the locker that held the red binders. She opened it and felt her heart sink to her stomach as she began to read over the names of the victims. Max began to pile the binders on the desk and on the floor as she emptied the shelves. She couldn't find anything hidden in the locker after everything had been removed. She sat down at the desk and picked up the first folder flipping through it's contents.

Max could feel her stomach twist itself like a contortionist as she scanned over the pictures, it made her want to puke. She could recognize Jefferson's demented style in the photos, and the thought of her being able to actually acknowledge that he had one made her feel dirty. There was nothing of use among the pictures and Max looked up to see Chloe guarding the entrance with her gun. It made her smile and she steeled herself before picking up the next binder. She made her way through three more folders before she couldn't continue. Jefferson was a true monster but there was nothing among this smut that could help their case.

Chloe heard the binders clatter to the floor behind her. She turned to see Max sweeping them off the desk and kicking them as they hit the floor. She saw one skid across the room as she approached. The brunette buried her head in her hands and Chloe put her hand on the small girl's shoulder. Before she could speak Max cut her off.

"It's hopeless Chloe, there's nothing here that can help us. Just all of Jefferson's bullshit. I can't keep going through all of this."

Chloe scanned the desk as she rubbed Max's shoulder and her eyes caught something that had been hidden under the binders. It was an envelope that had Nathan's name written in cursive. "Agent Price strikes again. Look Max." She pointed to the envelope on the desk directing the brunette's gaze.

Max's eyes lit up as she snatched the letter off the desk. "Chloe you're a genius."

"Can we rewind that?" Chloe replied with a grin. She noticed there was a small booklet that was hidden underneath the envelope that she seized from the desk. She flipped through it skimming it's contents. The pages had characters that she had never seen before and below each one a letter of the english alphabet.

Max had already opened the envelope and unfolded the letter. "This wasn't here last time. Nathan must have taken this with him before we got here on Thursday." She read it outloud to Chloe.

" _Nathan,_

 _As I have said before let us keep all communication on our dark room matters on paper. Let me remind you that you are only to contact me via the burner phones I have supplied in the case of emergency. This will be my final time informing you of this process. I have spoken to J on the matter of the pictures you took of K. He assures me that they are of the quality that we need._

 _Normally, I would be proud of this occasion but you were reckless and J had to be there to clean up after you. This is unacceptable, you nearly put our operation in danger. Prove yourself. Take these pictures to the totem and perform the ritual yourself. I trust you know the place. My men reported that you were present there last week. I have included the instructions on how to carry out the procedure. These must be completed precisely as written. Do not fuck this up. It must be done by Wednesday the 9th. We are on a strict time table._

 _Regards,_

 _Your Father"_

Max's eyes were wide as she stared up at Chloe in bewilderment. "What the fuck?"

"I don't know Max, sounds like some freaky shit. Is there more?" Max flipped to the next page but she couldn't read it. It looked like an alien language to her.

"I...I can't read what this says." She turned to Chloe again holding it out for her to see. She didn't like any of this. They came here for answers but now they had even more questions than before.

"This was with the envelope." Chloe handed Max the booklet and watched the brunette slowly thumb through it's pages as she had. "It looks like it could translate that gibberish. It doesn't say what language it is." Max put the letter and book down plucking the envelope up from the desk. She turned it upside down emptying the pictures of Kate that Nathan had taken onto the desk and stared at them with a quiet horror.

"They are actually doing something with them. I can't imagine...Jesus, Chloe…" Max stammered. She fumbled with the contents of the envelope putting everything back. She stood up with it and the translation book in her hand. Chloe hugged her but Max just stood there in stunned silence. Chloe pulled away and held onto the small girl's arms. Max seemed to be staring into the abyss, a million miles away. The blue haired fury shook her and Max's eyes refocused on Chloe. Her face was screwed up into a worried but angry expression. Max had seen that look before when something had hurt someone Chloe cared for.

"We are going to do something about it. I told you I wouldn't let you be afraid of this place anymore. We are going to rewind anyway. You and me. We're going to thrash this place." Her eyes were smouldering with rage and Max wasn't quite grasping what she was suggesting. Chloe pulled away and walked over to the camera that was set up on the tripod. The one that Jefferson had used to take pictures of her.

She ripped the camera from it's perch throwing it violently into the wall shattering it into a thousand pieces. Max continued to watch the display as the tightness in her chest, that had been there the entire time, began to subside. Chloe swung the tripod like a bat breaking one of the pictures on the wall. She hammered it until the frame was completely destroyed and the legs of the stand were crooked. She was panting softly and looked to Max expectantly as the mangled tripod rattled to the ground.

"Let your inner rebel come out." Chloe said.

Max glanced down at the desk she was standing next to. She backed away from it and propped her foot against the drawer giving it a kick. The desk toppled over sending the computer monitor flying and the binders spiraling across the floor. Max smiled. This felt good. It felt liberating.

"There you go Maximus Rex!"

Max hooked her fingers behind the cabinet that had housed the red binders and threw it to the ground with a loud crash. Chloe pulled the trolley away from the wall spinning it into the middle of the room before giving it a boot flipping it over. The needles and vials crunched against the far wall next to the remnants of Jefferson's camera. Max seized the monolight and began to drag it over to the expensive printer. She held it like a club as she brought it down on the printer cracking the light into and smashing the printer's electronic display.

Chloe had already opened up the black equipment trunks turning them over and dumping out their contents so that she could stomp on them with her boots. Both of the girls paused for a moment. They looked at each other and then down to the couch. Both of them moved behind it and each took a side.

"One...Two….fuck yo couch!" Chloe shouted as they flipped the couch over onto the coffee table. Max was standing beside Chloe now holding onto her as she giggled uncontrollably. The punk held her by her side with an arm as she proudly surveyed their work. The room was a wreck.

"Not bad Caulfield. Not bad at all." Chloe said with a grin turning to Max. The brunette returned a smile and pulled her into a hug.

"Thank you Chloe. I love you." She buried her face into the punk's neck. Max loved smelling the familiar Chloe smell, and the embrace that held her the same way every time they came together.

"I love you too, Max." Chloe's voice always had that hint of playfulness to it, a certain sarcastic sassiness, but whenever she said those words there was another tone that was rare. It was sincere and it came from deep within from the hidden girl that Max wanted so badly to have all to herself.

Max pulled away looking up at Chloe. "I am taking the envelope. I'm not going to let Nathan do anything with Kate's pictures. We can translate the letter later."

Chloe's eyebrows furled in thought. "But if we time jump with it won't that mean that Nathan still gets to use it and we just have a copy in the new timeline?"

"...Shit. You're right." Max bit her lip as she tried to think of an alternative. "Well...my normal rewinds have been longer. This would be the longest one I've ever attempted, but if I can do it then it means that Nathan doesn't have the instructions."

"Are you sure you want to risk it?" Chloe shot her a worried glance.

"We have to see if it works. Besides, then I'll know my new rewind limit."

Chloe agreed reluctantly and Max started to leave. She turned to see the punk raise both her hands up shooting two birds to the empty room. She spun around in a circle so that the hidden cameras in the room could record it from any angle.

"Eat shit and die Pervscotts."

Max chuckled and took the girl's hand. They walked up the stairs entering the barn and exited out of the hole that they had came in. Cutting through the same shortcut through the woods, they stopped halfway and Max turned to Chloe holding her hand out to her for the rewind.

"I want you to stop if it gets too much. Don't overdo yourself." Chloe clasped Max's hand in hers and the world around them blurred. This time they could see the leaves and trees blowing in reverse and the wildlife retracing their paths. This rewind seemed different to Max. She felt more powerful, more in control, and the world showed no resistance as she rewound more time than she had ever before.

Max flashed a smile to Chloe, signaling everything was alright, which the punk returned. To the brunettes amazement she began to see the ghostly images of themselves begin to walk backwards toward their current position. She released the rewind as their past selves came close. The world bowed to her wishes as it resumed it's normal time clockwise. A feeling of relief washed over her. She finally felt like she was in control of this power.

"Wowsers Chloe, it worked!" She turned to look at the undisturbed barn in amazement.

"I knew you had it in…" Chloe was interrupted as she felt something warm start to pool under her upper lip. Max spun around to see why she had stopped and she looked like a doe in headlights. Chloe wiped under her nose with two of her fingers holding them out in front of her. Both of them looked down at her blood stained fingers and then back at each other

 **A/N**

 **This project started out as just practice for me. It has been a way for me to work out my feelings for both the game and in real life. You don't know how happy I am that people are reading it. Yes I mean you. I am so grateful for the follows and favorites. I was hesitant to leave a note because I like my work to speak for itself. I feel like there is a lot of me within these chapters. But I couldn't help but take the time to leave a thank you note. I hope that you stick with me as I work through this adventure. Feel free to message me any time or even leave a review. Your support makes my day and inspires me.**

 **Your partner in time,**

 **Dukkha**


	5. The Hidden Girl

**A/N I hope you all are getting a chance to enjoy the new LiS: BTS today or this weekend. I wanted to release this before playing it myself. Please enjoy and I'll be back with another shortly.**

* * *

Max's head was spinning. Her body was moving without her direction following old orders. She pulled open the door to Chloe's truck and slid inside closing it behind her. She didn't hear it close. There was nothing but a dull roar in her ears, a cyclone of thoughts, collecting all of the worries that were tumbling out of her. Out of that dark place. It turned them over and over to force her to look at them and their possibility.

Chloe was rummaging around the cabin for something to wipe her nose with and Max watched her with a blank stare. Chloe wiped her fingers clean and then dabbed at her upper lip before looking down at the blood stained tissue.

"Chloe…"

"I told you, I'm fine Max." Her eyes inspected the tissue looking for some kind of meaning in it before quickly crumpling it up. Chloe turned her attention back to the brunette. Max could see the concern vanish from Chloe's face, replaced with a convincing smile. She wondered where the girl had tucked it away to. "Really...I'm just tired. The rewinds take it out of you. I'm just pulling my weight now."

Chloe could see from the look she was getting that she hadn't put Max's mind to rest. She started the truck and pulled them around into a U turn getting them back on the road. The brunette appeared beside her, her leg pressed against her own. She sat quietly brooding. Chloe knew Max had the tendency to overthink things and work herself up. She felt like she had better to do something to help or Max would hesitate to take her on rewinds. She wasn't about to give that up.

Chloe had always felt like Max's partner but that wasn't due to the power, it was because Max always made her feel included despite it. She remembered how hard it was when her best friend left for Seattle. Then she came back and Chloe had forgiven her almost immediately. Why? She demanded an answer from herself and it came. Max had that aura about her, she accepts you without judgement...even her. She talks to you as if you are the only one in the world and no one else matters. Chloe hadn't realized it until now, but Max took that feeling with her when she left. Chloe didn't feel a part of anything anymore. She walked the halls of Blackwell by herself and wasn't a student. She came home and wasn't anyone's daughter. And while she cried alone in her room, she was no one's best friend in need of comforting.

Chloe glanced over to Max who was still lost in thought. She had left the dark room. A place full of memories for her that didn't exist and hadn't happened yet. Five years meant nothing to Chloe, she could still see right through Max, and she saw the dark stain that Jefferson had left on her. Even after all that, Max was still worried about her more than for herself.

"If this is going to be a regular thing you might as well start getting in on my side." It didn't come out as a joke the way she intended. Instead it sounded more consoling and sentimental. Max was pulling this tone out of her lately and she didn't know what to do with it or where it kept coming from. The small girl looked up and over at her and there was a moment of silence before Max gave her a warm smile.

"Okay." She said matter-of-factly. Another moment of silence passed, this one much longer and Chloe tensed as she began again.

"Max, I really am alright. You don't have to worry. I would have tried to stop you if it hurt. You're always using your own energy to power this thing. Nothing has changed with how it's working it's just now we are both acting as batteries." Chloe could see Max relax a bit but she still wasn't happy about the answer. "And I told you, we are in this together. So I'm glad it's drawing from me too. I'm strong enough to handle it and I can help."

Max turned away from the truth, if she didn't look at it maybe it would go away. Finally, she turned back and nodded. "You're right Chloe, I'm not being fair to you. I've been so used to the responsibility of my power that I'm not really used to sharing it. You know I wish I could share all the benefits and none of the bad shit."

"But together the rewind is more powerful. We can go a lot farther, and now because of it we got the envelope away from Nathan."

Max took a quick glance down at her bag where she put the letter and book. "I want to reread it when we are back. He mentioned a totem. Like the Tobanga at school. Also that Nathan was suppose to do something with Kate's pictures at a place he had been before."

Chloe grinned deviously as she kept her eyes forward. "That means that he's already led us right to it. We still have the coordinates from his movements last week thanks to David. The place that daddy Pervscott is talking about has to be on that list of places."

Max clutched at Chloe's shoulder with excitement. "You're right! Then we can go there and see what's going on." She let out a sigh of relief, "Finally, something is going right."

"Maybe we should hold off until tomorrow? I think we might have done enough today and we got what we came for. Gotta recharge our batteries, I'll stop somewhere and get us some dinner."

Max agreed by slumping back into the seat and she found herself nestling into the fury's side again. Chloe responded by slipping an arm around her. Max smiled, no matter how many times she rewound reality she could rest easy knowing she would never lose a moment of being with Chloe now. They could develop these new habits, familiar and routine displays of affection that offered a sanctuary that couldn't be taken away.

Chloe went through a drive-thru to pick them up a bag of grease, hamburgers and fries. Normally Max ate light but she didn't protest. Comfort food seemed appropriate. She loved how Chloe just knew. It wasn't curfew yet when the pair got back to Blackwell. They made it back to Max's room with their food haul. A weight seemed to fall from Max's shoulders when the door was finally closed. Maybe Chloe was right, no more time nonsense or Prescott conspiracy tonight. It could be a night just for her and Chloe to be normal for once. She joined Chloe who was kicking off her boots. She held onto the punk removing her own and then took a seat on the couch.

Chloe distributed the food and they dug in. Max tried to hide a smile while watching Chloe wolf her's down. Raw and rough just how she liked her. It hadn't struck her until now but she had assumed that Chloe was going to stay the night here, in her dorm room. She hadn't even asked her though. Between one of her bites she posed the question.

"Are...are you staying here tonight or…?"

"Why? You gonna kick me out?" Chloe gave her a playful smirk waving a french fry at her.

"Well, no…"

"Good. Because that's what it would take." Chloe returned to eating and Max smiled. They finished their dinner and Max looked over at Chloe who was now stretched out over almost the entire length of the couch. Her hands were propped underneath her head and her eyes were closed, she was enjoying her food coma.

"So you said you had an idea on how to get me out of school so we could do our investigation and I could avoid Jefferson?" Max asked.

"That I do Maximus." Chloe still hadn't opened her eyes but was now smiling to herself proudly. She finally sat up and scooted over to Max so she could put her hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. Max saw her struggle to put on a grave face before she continued, "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but Max, your aunt just died today."

"Chloe I don't have a…Oh. Ohhhhhh." Max's eyes widened with clarity and Chloe grinned.

"That's going to get you out for this week. We can say that the funeral is here too so you can stay here while not going to your classes. Like you parents are going to come down for it."

"Um okay so one big issue with your master plan. How are you going to sell that to the principal? I can't do it because he's just going to call my mom to confirm it." Max gave her a skeptical look.

"Easy Caulfield. I'll call him and pretend to be your mom and tell him you're in mourning and you're all broke up. I'll swing you the days out and if it goes bad I'll just have you rewind until I get it right. Pretty genius huh?"

Max shook her head and giggled. "You are crazy but it might work. I guess if it doesn't then I can always just rewind to before you call him."

Chloe nodded. "So you wanna chill and watch something?"

"That sounds amazing. I still have...Oh no I still have Warren's flash drive." Max's hand dived into her pocket pulling her phone out to check her messages. She groaned seeing Warren's text asking for the drive back that she had ignored all afternoon. Chloe could hear the mechanical clicking of Max typing a reply before she sat down and laid across the bed defeated. "I told him I'd get it to him tomorrow. I hope he didn't need it today."

Chloe stood up and brought Max's laptop over to the bed and set it near the end. She went over and stood beside Max's closet turning towards the wall. Max watched Chloe's hands reach behind her disappearing under her top to fiddle with something. She pulled her bra down and tossed it at her feet. Then her jacket was hung on one of Max's hangers. Lastly, she saw the punk wiggle her hips and shed her jeans. Max swallowed involuntarily and let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Chloe was left in her tank top and a pair of boxers. Max felt silly for how she was feeling. After all, Max must have seen Chloe like this a hundred times as kids and most recently when they had taken a nightly swim in the Blackwell pool.

Chloe turned around and she saw Max hungrily taking in every detail. She stood there a moment allowing the brunette her gaze. Max awaited the sassy response, or the confident smirk but to her surprise it never came. Instead was the face of a sensitive girl and there was a question in her eyes. 'Do you like me'?

 _The hidden girl_

"Pretty…" Came the answer before Max could stop herself. She hadn't meant to answer the question. She needed more time to think. Now she felt like a total idiot. Maybe she didn't hear it.

"What?" Chloe asked titling her head to one side and smiling.

"I mean, you look beautiful Chloe." said Max after collecting herself. Chloe's eyes darted away suddenly becoming self conscious.

"Uh, thanks...You know how I like to get comfy for this kinda stuff. You are too right?"

Max nodded and got up, "Yeah." They traded spots and Max fished around in her closet pulling out her pajama bottoms. She removed her bra and changed into the bottoms all while facing the wall. She must have looked the color of a beet because she knew Chloe must be eying her just as she had been doing. When Max turned back she couldn't tell, Chloe was now looking through Warren's movie collection for something good to watch.

"Hey, no way. He's got Blade Runner. We should totally watch that. It'll be like old times." Chloe looked to her expectantly.

Max sat down next to her, "Never change."

"I'll take that as a yes."

Max giggled and Chloe started the movie. They gathered all of the pillows stacking them up in a pile at the head of the bed. They stretched out and laid close to each other. Max realized this was the first time she had gotten time to take a real break since even before her time jump. Her body might feel fine but her mind was mentally and emotionally exhausted. She let herself relax and take in the familiar scenes of one of their favorite movies.

It had been about thirty minutes into the film before Max noticed that every once in awhile Chloe would take a peek at her. She was sure that it wasn't to try to gauge her response to the movie because Chloe was trying to sneak some of them. She suppressed the instinct to giggle and reveal that she had caught on. Max waited for a more quiet scene and then turned to look at Chloe letting the gaze linger longer than normal until the punk caught on. She turned to look back at Max giving her an innocent look as if to ask 'what?'.

Both of them had their bodies turned to each other as they lay there. Max reached over placing her hand on Chloe's thigh just below where her boxers covered. Chloe shot a quick sideways glance down at Max's hand and moved closer to her in response. Max knew that Chloe wouldn't make the first move but that she had wanted this. With everything in her life, the punk would charge headlong into it, but Max was different. She was something that she didn't want to screw up.

Max moved toward her and their lips met. Chloe took in a deep breath through her nose as she pressed back harder against Max's advance. The brunette felt Chloe's hands wrap around her neck pulling her into an intimate embrace. It felt like a pocket of space that only they inhabited and here nothing could threaten them. Max's hand glided up along the soft skin of Chloe's thigh before grabbing her ass. Their lips parted and Chloe breathed out but it came out as a long low moan at the brunette's touch.

They rejoined, the kisses becoming more passionate and lasting longer. Their bodies were now touching and they were as close as they could get. Chloe had her leg wrapped around the smaller girl's waist inviting more of Max's exploration. As they parted again the brunette noticed two small bumps prodding against the fabric of Chloe's top. Her fingers had a mind of their own as her hand reached for one of them. Max felt the punk's hands slide under her own shirt and the slight pleasurable sting of nails on her back. She flicked her thumb over the sensitive nub making Chloe shudder in elation. Max planted kisses on the taller girl's neck as she played with her new toy pinching and teasing it with her fingertips.

"Please...don't stop." Chloe pleaded in her ear before nipping at her earlobe. And they didn't. Everything passed away as they let their passions carry them away but not too far. Not yet. Max wasn't ready for that.

* * *

Max couldn't recall how long they made out or when she had fallen asleep but suddenly she snapped awake. Her room was dark and she could barely make out anything. Chloe wasn't here, that she could tell. She ordered her body to sit up, to seek out the missing fury. It didn't obey. She struggled at binds that she couldn't see holding her hands above her and her legs together. She tried to scream, her mouth opened but nothing issued.

"I had to kill her Max. You keep saving her over and over. How many times must I shoot her?"

She could feel the breath on the back of her neck as she listened to the calm, calculated, and terrifying words of Mr. Jefferson. She flinched as she heard the sound of a shutter and saw the split second of a camera flash.

"Now that she's gone...we can be alone. No one is going to care about her. Another dropout turned up dead in Arcadia Bay."

Another flash. Her whole body shook at the bindings and she heard Jefferson laughing at her squirming.

"Hold that stare there! Stay still!"

Then, she woke up. Chloe was holding her and looking at her with a look of worry. The room was lit only by the soft lights hanging above her bed. The movie had ended and the laptop closed. She could tell she was under the covers and Chloe was rubbing her back.

"Max? You alright? You were spazzing out and hit me."

"Sorry…" Max muttered groggily. She looked Chloe over and placed a hand on her arm. "Did I hurt you?"

Chloe let out a small snort and smiled at her. "I'm fine. Now tell me what that Max attack was all about."

Max let her head slump back down resting on Chloe's chest. "I was having a nightmare...about Jefferson, about the dark room." She hated to admit it. She felt maybe if she didn't look at Chloe she would let it go. She just wanted to forget about it as quickly as it had appeared.

She felt the punk squeeze her in a hug and she hugged her back. Her heart began to slow down after it's brief sprint across her chest. "I'm sorry Max." She heard the taller girl say.

"Would you...just talk to me for a bit? Until I fall asleep again?" Max whispered into Chloe's top.

"Yeah. Of course." Chloe replied taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "I know what will make you feel better. Me being a dork." She heard the brunette let out a muffled giggle.

"It sounds good already."

"Well, before you left. I'd say about a month. My dad is bothering me about the stupid dance that our old middle school was hosting. He keeps asking me if any boys have asked me to go. So finally, I get fed up with it and I tell him no and that I don't want one to ask me. He gets all quiet on me right? Probably to consult his secret book of Dad strategies."

Max nodded in agreement her head still buried into the punks body. "He asks me if I had a choice of anyone, who would I go with? Must be some kinda Dad trick because like a dummy I fall for it and say Max before I can catch myself."

Max looked up at this smiling at Chloe. The punk turned her eyes away, her cheeks flushing pink.

"He got super quiet. Then he asked me if I liked you. Like, like like you. And I say no but he's already busted me so I go yes. I thought he might get mad at me. All he wanted was some nice boy to ask me out and here I am pining over Maxine Caulfield."

Max's smile turned to a heartfelt surprise as if she was seeing something incredibly adorable. Chloe cleared her throat before looking at Max and continuing, "Then he told me that I should tell you how I felt. That I should ask you to go. And...I was going to. I was trying to muster up the courage to do it and I was so scared I was going to ruin our friendship. Then the accident happened. I didn't get a chance and you moved right after. I regret so much that I didn't do it. Some of the letters I didn't send you had it in there. Maybe I was just practicing."

Max lifted up giving her a tender peck on the cheek before leaving another on her lips. "William was so cool. I miss him and I love having his camera. It's like carrying around a piece of him wherever I go. Wherever we go."

"I know you'll take care of it." Chloe said. Max laid her head back down and closed her eyes so she could listen.

"Go on…" The small girl murmured.

"Well there was that time Brandon Weston made fun of your Indiana Jones tshirt. We had just seen the new one, Crystal Skull and you were wearing it to school the next day. He told you the new one was crap, and you were lame for liking it and it made you feel bad." Chloe could tell Max was still listening but she hoped that this was helping.

"I waited one day until after school and I had this extra sandwich with me that I picked out special for Brandon. I cracked his locker open and I almost broke it. I hid the sandwich under his stuff where I knew he wouldn't look and it was tuna. Dudes locker reeked the rest of the year."

She heard a small chuckle emanate from beneath her. She slowly ran her fingers through Max's bushy brown hair and smiled. She kept on with the next story telling Max some of things that were in the letters she hadn't sent. Chloe felt the small girl drift off to sleep and she was left with her own thoughts. She looked down at Max. Was this her life now? Being a time detective by day and watching movies with her girlfriend by night. Max had come back and and everything was different now. How long would this last? She tried to push those types of thoughts out of her head and enjoy the moment. She was just as tired as Max was. The rewinds drained her and she was just happy she lasted long enough to get Max back to sleep. Chloe closed her eyes and let sleep take her.


	6. Rage Against the Raven

_Snooze_

The thought drifted lazily through Max's mind like a lost cloud. She still had her eyes closed and she felt something warm pressed against her side. It made her smile. Her phone was ringing on the nightstand beside her signaling that it was time to wake up. Max's hand shot out to quiet it. She flailed around managing only to push it out of reach.

She felt the warm body next to her move across her and she could hear the alarm stop. Her stereo switched on and "Something Good" began to fill the room. Max opened her eyes and saw Chloe pulling back away from the nightstand. Chloe's usual intense gaze had been replaced by an expression between serene and content. Between their traded smiles and her sneaking glances at the girl, Max could always see the pain behind Chloe's eyes. It colored everything she saw turning happy moments into awaited bad ones. Today she couldn't see it there. Chloe seemed to have left all her baggage at Max's door last night. Max hoped that she wouldn't pick it back up when they left.

She smiled at Chloe and she imagined she must have looked goofy. Her bushy hair splayed on the pillow as she flashed a groggy half asleep smile. The blue haired girl threw her leg over Max's waist saddling up to her and kissed the side of her lip. It was uncoordinated and misplaced but it was perfect. It was genuine just like Chloe was. Chloe must have not thought she looked goofy. The girl left a trail of soft kisses down her jaw and neck drawing out a small moan of approval from Max. There was a pause and a ache for Chloe to continue.

"Will this last...Max?" Chloe whispered.

"We will...forever." Max returned. Those words that were spoken to her so long ago seemed appropriate. The train tracks. How they held hands. She could see the hidden girl peeking from beneath those familiar blue eyes, as if waiting for an answer that would make her hide away again. Chloe smiled as she took in their meaning and kissed her again. The pair laid there silently, Chloe's head was resting on Max's chest. Max ran her fingers through her blue locks clearing the loose strands from the her face. The stereo finally finished playing its song.

"I need to get up and take a shower. I hope your master plan with principal Wells works." Max wondered out loud.

"He's a pushover, I've dealt with him before. Wait until you see my magic at work." Chloe grinned evilly and sat up stretching dramatically.

Max made her escape from the covers before the temptation to stay with Chloe became too great. "Is that what you've worked over on me?" She sat on the edge of the bed doing her best to straighten her bed hair into something manageable before being seen in the hall. Maybe if she just made a mad dash to the shower no one would catch her, she mused. At least her biggest worry today so far was this. She had a feeling it would get worse but she felt calmer having Chloe in arms reach. Max turned to her awaiting a response and Chloe was squinting with concentration at her wiggling her fingers in the air as if casting a spell. Max rolled her eyes and stood up collecting her bath supplies.

"Hey. While you're doing that I'll grab us some grub from Two Whales. I'm going to swing by the house and grab some clothes and stuff. I can tell mom that I'm staying with you to help you get over your _tragic_ loss." Chloe said leaning sarcastically on the word tragic as she stood up and went over to put her jeans on.

"Oh, moving in with me too? Just how much are you going to get out of Wells with one phone call?" Max teased with a playful smirk.

Chloe rolled her head to the side as if to mull the question over. "Not much else...I mean his chair too, duh." She winked slyly.

Max shook her head smiling and went out into the hallway. She saw Kate headed back to her room. She must have stayed in bed longer than she imagined. Chloe could be distracting. Max moved toward Kate and held a hand out to stop her.

"Hey...Kate." The sullen girl barely registered her greeting. Her eyes were staring down at the floor.

"Oh, hi Max." She forced a small smile.

"I uh, have been holding onto your copy of October Country and I thought you might need it back by now."

Kate nodded and her smile became more natural. She clasped her hands together in front of her. "You read my mind Max. I was just going to ask you for it. I have to take some notes."

"I'm going to take a shower first, then I'll bring it over." Max put her hand on Kate's arm. "I wanted to talk too. I mean about something good. Okay?"

"Alright Max."

With that she left disappearing into her room. Max headed to the bathroom. She saw that Dana's door was still closed. She hoped that Dana had worked out everything with Juliet. She felt bad that she couldn't help this time but what Chloe and her were doing was more important.

 _Not enough Super Max to go around_

When Max entered the bathroom she immediately noticed the link to Kate's video written on the mirror by Victoria. She scoffed in disgust cleaning the mirror as she had done once before. Max picked out a stall and began to shower. She tried to think of what she could possibly say to Kate. Standing on that roof with her in the rain was terrifying. She felt like she had barely been able to convince her not to jump the first time. Now with a full day of playing detective with Chloe ahead of her she didn't have time to save Kate again. She needed to prevent her from even going up there in the first place.

She wasn't sure she could do it. Thoughts of what she could say cycled through her head, but her mind kept to wandering back to Chloe and it made her giggle. Chloe was going to get them breakfast and then pack up things to stay here with her. Even though this week felt like it was on a time table, getting up like she had this morning was like a dream that she hadn't fully awaken from yet. It made her giddy thinking of having that to look forward to the rest of the week. She hadn't given it much thought but just yesterday she had gone back to the dark room and it hadn't followed her here. Chloe had somehow made her forget all about it after they smashed everything and left. She was too busy trying to figure out if she had hurt her with the rewind.

Max felt silly, she had never had a real boyfriend before...or a girlfriend. Sure she had liked a few boys before but never talked to them. This must be what it felt like she mused. She tried to push the thoughts away and rehearse what she would say to Kate. After all, Chloe would tease her endlessly if she knew she was thinking of her while in the shower.

She finished up and walked back to her room. Some things never change, Max thought to herself as she put the same clothes on as she had worn last Tuesday. She located Kate's book and walked it over to her room knocking on the door.

"Come in."

Max entered the room and it was just as gloomy as she remembered. She shut the door behind her slowly and approached Kate. She looked defeated, slumped down in the chair. She looked as if she had been crying. Max set the book down.

"Hey, Kate. Here's your book. I wanted to talk about the video that's going around."

"I thought you wanted to talk about something good." She heard the girl mutter.

"I think you were drugged at the party and it made you do those things. I think you can't remember because Nathan slipped something in your drink while you were there."

Kate turned to her with shock. "How did you know I couldn't remember anything?"

 _Shit_.

Max thought about rewinding. She came closer and put her hand on her other arm steadying herself to answer, "Because it's happened to a lot of other girls around here. You were the first to get put on video. The same thing that happened to you happened to Rachel...except something went wrong with her."

Kate was eyeing her suspiciously wondering whether she should believe her. "Rachel? The missing girl with the posters everywhere?"

"Yeah." Max replied nervously as she looked around the dim room. "Me and a friend of mine, Chloe, are looking into it because she was close to Rachel. We found evidence that the Prescotts are doing something with young girls here at the school."

Kate held her hand up to her mouth and Max could see that she was trembling. The brunette leaned down giving her a hug and Kate began to cry. "Why is this happening?" She managed to choke out between her sobs.

"I don't know Kate but I'm trying to figure it all out. I'm very close. But it's important that we don't say anything to the police until I have more. The Prescotts have connections and they could just bury anything that isn't concrete."

Kate pulled away from her and wiped her eyes. "I don't like this. The police should be able to handle this. I just want everyone to know I'm not some kind of viral slut!" Her voice was pleading just as it had been when Max had this conversation before. It tore at her, if only Kate could have seen what she had seen. The timelines of what could have happened or what would happen. Maybe there was some wisdom in being able to see all the possibilities but often times it also brought pain. She never thought she would stand in this room with Kate to have this conversation again now knowing what she went through personally.

"They will see that you are a victim Kate. You have to be strong for me and once I have everything I'll be right there with you to get them put away. You'll get a chance to tell your story and I need you to help me by trusting me." Max was trying to remain firm. Kate stopped crying and looked at Max wavering between some answer before she finally looked down into her lap.

"I trust you Max. It's just so hard to deal with everyone. The way they look at me. I can't go down the hall without someone teasing me. Even the people who don't say anything, I know they are thinking it. I'm just a joke now."

"They don't understand now but when they realize what Nathan did to you they will see it differently. We can even look into taking the video down. Alright?"

The girl was quiet for a moment as she thought it over. "Okay Max. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You've already gone through so much Kate. I don't want to place you in any more danger." Max said. She could see Kate wilt like a drooping flower at the thought of being unable to help. Max went over to the window to let some light in. "If I find out something that I could use your help with though, I will. Of course, I'll need you once we bust everything open. Staying strong for me is exactly what I need you to do now. If you ever feel like you need someone to talk to, please call me."

Kate watched Max as she adjusted the blinds. "Thanks Max, this all seems crazy to me but you are a good friend." She held her hands in her lap, "Be careful with whatever you are doing. I know you don't want to tell me but you know enough. Even things I haven't told anyone."

Max walked over to the door and started to go through it. She stood there half way through the threshold lingering there a moment before she spoke again. "And...Kate?" The blonde girl turned to her. "Don't go to the roof."

Kate went white as if she had seen something she shouldn't have. "How…?" The question caught in her throat, she searched Max's eyes with her own for the answer.

"I'll explain everything after this is all over, I promise." Max said hesitantly. She had revealed too much already but there was no way she was going to let Kate try to jump again.

"...Okay Max."

Max closed the door behind her and let out a quiet sigh. She hoped that she gotten through to Kate because it was time to turn her attention to the things she had found yesterday. She went into her room and brought her camera bag that had been lying near the door over to her desk . She pulled the envelope and translation book out and sat down at the desk. Max was careful to pull out only the letter, partially not to damage it, but also to avoid seeing the girl she just talked to at her lowest point. The thought of having them here in the next room so close to Kate felt wrong. At least she didn't remember the dark room or ever had to see the pictures as Max had to.

She decided that the best place to start was to translate the second page that contained some weird instructions for Nathan. It made her wonder what he must be thinking or if he even noticed the envelope was gone. The image of Nathan going crazy and looking everywhere for something he couldn't find brought a smile to her face. It soon faded as she began to look over the alien language and she pulled out a sheet of paper to begin rewriting the letter in english.

Max had finished with the first sentence when her phone began to ring. It made her jump. Who would be calling her now? She pulled out her phone, her heart still racing from the mini heartattack. She relaxed once she saw the picture of Chloe on the screen.

 _Geez. Not even here and still able to scare me._

"Maximo's House of Hipster." She answered repressing a giggle.

"Oh, hi there. I'm looking for something specific." Chloe responded on the other end in her usual sassy tone.

Max gazed around the room taking in all of her imaginary stock. "Alright. Shoot."

"I need one rewind. Do you guys deliver?" Chloe asked.

"Well, we're fresh out. We do deliver though" Max said grinning.

"Oh cmon', you didn't even look." Chloe whined, "But for real I want to test something. I'm at Two Whales and our food is packed up to go."

"So why the rewind?" Max inquired as she twirled a pen between her fingers.

"For Science! ...But for real I want to see if I go back with you even at this distance...aaand I don't want to pay. I mean you did say that anything in my possession came back with me. I'm thinking if I grab the food and you rewind before I pay then, hey free food right?"

"Oh my god Chloe. That's like the worst excuse for a rewind ever."

"Hey! You used one to throw my beanie out the window once."

There was a pause and she knew she could feel Chloe's grin of triumph from here. Max knew she was right. Even if this was a petty reason to rewind, testing Chloe's hypothesis made it worth it. Chloe was always doubting herself, but Max felt like she didn't give herself enough credit. She was definitely helping her figure out this power better than she had ever done alone.

"Maxaroni Supreme? Helooooo?"

"Okay. Okay. Let's try it."

"Sweeeeet. Alright, I'll grab the food then I'll say go and you work your magic."

Max heard Chloe enter the diner, most likely after being outside for a smoke. There was a rustle of a plastic bag and she heard a female voice speak, "That'll be…"

"Go!"

Max held her hand up and the air around her quivered at her command. She felt the familiar whirring of time turning itself backwards. She had done this so many times but she knew that she would never be able to explain what it felt like, to ever put it into words. Only Chloe and her had ever felt it, and maybe it was that thought that made it seem more intimate between them. She stopped whenever she had felt that it had been enough time.

"Chloe?" She probed. There was silence on the other end. She thought that if it hadn't worked then she must have rewound before the call was made.

"Holyshit..." Max heard from the other end followed by a suprised 'hah'. "Uh, I'd like to cancel my order. Yeah. I know I just put it in but I...um changed my mind."

"Wowsers." Max said under her breath in disbelief.

She heard Chloe leave the diner, the drone of customers in the background suddenly falling silent. "Like all the wowsers Max. It actually worked. It. Worked." She repeated in wonder.

"That could come in handy later. I really do appreciate you helping me figure this all out." Max said.

"Well after we figure out everything about it then we can start taking over the world."

"After we deal with the tornado."

"Right. The tornado. I'm headed home for some stuff and a shower...Uh thanks for the free food Super Max."

"Yep. That's what I'm here for." Max sassed but then she hesitated and felt her cheeks start to burn with an idea, "...I love you." She had said it before but she hoped it didn't sound awkward. There was dead air for a moment between them. A hundred different thoughts raced through her head at what Chloe could be thinking on the other end.

"I love you too Max." Chloe returned. It was gentle and untested but it sounded good. It made Max nervous but she decided it was in the good way. Chloe and her were plotting this all out as they went along and it was new and thrilling. "...I'll see you real soon with some mildly warm breakfast. Now that I think about it, not so great planning."

Max giggled. "See you soon Chlo." She hung up but held the phone in her hands a few moments letting a bubbly feeling rise in her chest as she smiled at it. Max set the phone down on the desk and began to get back to work on the translation.

* * *

She managed to translate the letter without too much issue. There was only one word that didn't make any sense to her. She hoped it was some kind of name. Yaahl. She also saw Martin Lewis Prescott's name in the letter. Max sat back in her chair and read the fully translated version of the letter. Her mouth hung open and she inhaled sharply. She heard her door open and it made her jolt up and spin around.

She hadn't realized how long she had been working on this. Chloe was closing the door behind herself with a foot as her hands held a duffel bag and their breakfast. "It's just me Bat Max no need to go on high alert." She put her bag of clothes next to Max's closet and set the plastic bag on the couch. She looked at Max tilting her head to the side. "Hey. You alright?" She asked taking her jacket off. She was wearing the same white tank top as she had friday, the one depicting a snake eating itself.

"I translated the letter. The part Nathan was supposed to use at the totem they were talking about." She answered. "You should read this."

Chloe walked over to the desk standing beside her. She leaned down running a few fingers through Max's hair above her forehead and kissed her cheek making a satisfying smacking sound. Max's head buzzed with excitement as Chloe's lips left her skin, she had never seen Chloe be this affectionate before. As she got close she could smell the fruity shampoo that she had used.

 _I wonder if she used the pirate towel and...Bad Max. Bad._

Chloe picked up the translated piece of paper and began to read outloud.

"Yaahl, creator of man, bringer of sun and moon, hear this. By family bond and family blood this sacred pact holds true. Accept this offering, that it may satiate your endless hunger. May you see fit to bestow prosperity on my blood as you have done before to my ancestors. For as long as I live and my name continue we will forever be beholden to our pact set forth by the one that came before. Martin Lewis Prescott."

Chloe finished and Max saw her reread a few parts before peeking over the paper at her. "This just gets weirder and weirder. I think we are onto something but now I don't know what."

"It sounds like they are doing some ritual and that offering they are talking about, that's the pictures they are taking." Max crossed her arms as she thought.

"Get some food and I'll take a look at this." Chloe said and Max obeyed taking a seat on the couch and pulling out a to go box of food that was from another timeline. She opened it to see a sampling of everything. There was sausages and eggs and bacon with hash browns on the side. Chloe sat down at the desk and turned to face the computer. "Every time you eat all I see you get are pancakes. Figured you might want something else." She commented over her shoulder.

Max smiled and handed Chloe her box while she saw the punk start to type on the computer. They ate in silence mostly while Chloe did research on her laptop. After finishing, Max retrieved her bag and pulled out David's list of coordinates. She located Nathan's set and began to review them looking for the place that Sean could be talking about in the letter. After about a half hour Chloe finally turned to her.

"So it says that this Yaahl is some kind of native american spirit. It's a raven. Apparently some tribes believe that it created man and helped steal things for them to help them. It brought them the sun and moon and the stars. It also says that it's a trickster and that it's a spirit associated with greed and lechery."

Max looked up from what she was doing as she listened. "What else?"

"Well, the raven is part of the Haida tribe's culture. I was searching around for the tribes that lived here in this area. The Salish and the Tillamook were here. Haida were mainly in Canada but there were a few groups of them here and in Washington. I was looking at the letter and it's written in the Haida language. What's in the translation book matches the sources here."

"Wow. That's awesome Chloe." Chloe 'mmhmm' proudly, beaming a smile. Max leaned back into the couch running a hand through her hair. "So the Prescotts made some kind of deal with the raven spirit. They offer it these pictures and in exchange, what? Maybe that's why they are so successful? Stealing things from other people seems like them alright."

Chloe looked unsure. "I know you have time powers and all but we are getting into crazy sci-fi shit here. I mean spirit animals?"

Max had never told Chloe about the doe that had helped her along in finding Rachel. She thought it might be pertinent now. "Um, there is something I haven't told you about before. It didn't seem necessary at the time especially since I didn't want you to think I was crazy."

"Too late for that." Chloe retorted with a smirk, but then she added more seriously, "No secrets Max."

Max nodded and continued, "You know about the visions I had, the ones about the tornado coming. But I also sometimes saw a doe. It appeared to me sometimes and guided me. I told Samuel about it and he told me that it was a spirit animal. I don't know about this raven but I wouldn't discount it being real."

Chloe listened and at the end 'hmmd' to herself before turning back to the computer to flip through a few pages. She stopped after a few minutes and smacked her palm to her forehead.

"I feel so stupid, now it seems obvious."

"What?" Inquired Max wondering what Chloe was reading.

The punk spun back to her, "I was so distracted by ya know, freaking time powers that I almost forgot about the visions. I was reading about some of the native american culture, and vision quests are totally a part of it. It's a rite of passage where they would seek out the spirits and ask them for a vision to show them the purpose of their life. In this vision the person's spirit animal is supposed to help guide them along and show them what they need to see. That's totally you"

Max couldn't believe what Chloe was saying. A lot of things started to make sense now but she still didn't understand how she provoked such a thing. She never sought out any spirits. But maybe, they had sought her out. "Chloe, I think you are right. I hate to say it but maybe the more we find out about the Prescotts the more I may find out about my power."

"This is hella wild. The visions show you that you have to stop the tornado. The doe has been leading you. We still don't know what Martin Prescott did but maybe he had some kind of connection to the Haida tribe."

Max glanced back down at the coordinates. "I've been looking at the places Nathan went last week and there was always a weird one that stood out to me. When we looked it up, we saw that it was just a remote location in the middle of the woods. He stayed out there for like almost three hours though. I don't think he was on a nature walk."

"Yeah, doesn't seem like the type." Chloe snarked.

"I think there is something out there. Sean said he visited the place where the totem was and where better to keep one than in the woods?"

"I think it's a good place to start."

Chloe copied down the directions and Max collected everything putting it back into her bag. Max sat back down on the couch and Chloe joined her. "It's almost time for my class with Jefferson to start. We should make that call to principal Wells and then we can leave to check the place that Nathan went to."

Chloe rubbed her hands together flashing an impish grin. "Alright, mama needs a new chair." She pulled out her phone and looked up the number for the principal on the Blackwell website. "I got a new number a while back so it shouldn't be one they have a record for."

Max listened as Chloe put on a different accent and changed her voice. She almost sounded like her mom and Max wondered if she had practiced this. Chloe was directed to Wells after talking with the lady in the office. She informed him that she was Vanessa and after a few short rewinds that cleared up her identity she started to weave the story of Max's imaginary aunt.

"Oh, yes of course I understand you have your procedures and I will send you a written confirmation over email for your files." Chloe said into the phone with a wince. She was looking at Max with a face that said 'Oh shit'. She managed to end the conversation without the need for another rewind.

"An email confirmation?" Max asked once Chloe had got off the phone.

"He wouldn't take no for an answer. Says it's for his records." Chloe replied with a scowl. She sighed leaning back then suddenly she immediately sprung up. "Hey! Has your mom ever signed into her email using your laptop?"

Max thought for a moment, "Uh, yeah I think once or twice maybe. Why?"

Chloe dashed over to Max's laptop and she could hear a furious set of clicks from the keyboard. "Bingo. Your computer saved your mom's username and password for easy log in. I'm in."

"No way." Max appeared beside her and she saw a list of emails on the screen that didn't belong to her.

"Now all we have to do is type up a convincing email, delete it out of the outbox so your mom never sees it and we are golden baby."

She watched as Chloe began to compose the email to principal Wells. "You are scarily good at this."

"Well if I wasn't I'd have to lose my credentials for being a professional dropout. I practically have a degree in skipping."

"And did you call me baby?"

"It was part of the expression." Chloe corrected as she glanced up at her with a playful smile. "I mean unless you want us to start using pet names. Are we at that stage yet?" She added fluttering her lashes.

"I mean I think you have a leg up on that one. You have some kind of secret list of hundreds of nicknames that are all twists on my name that you can pull out at any time." Max said with a chuckle.

"I want mine to be sexy pants." Chloe replied with a snicker making Max giggle. She watched as Chloe finished the email and then erased it from her outbox. "And done. You are officially free for a week. Sorry about your aunt Matilda."

"Yeah. Well I didn't know her very well anyway." Max said with a snort.

Chloe grinned shaking her head and patted her pockets for her keys. "We can go now if you want. Honestly I'm kinda itching to see what's out there. I know it's going to be bad but we have your power and you've got me. I just want to see where this all goes."

"Yeah. Maybe we will learn more about this tribe and the spirit. I feel like it's connected to my power somehow."

Chloe slipped her jacket back on and Max picked up her camera bag checking it again to make sure she had put everything back in. Chloe was standing by the door checking herself out in the mirror. Max wondered if this was the new norm. Her and Chloe putting all the clues together and going out to solve cases. First it was a missing person and now it was a natural disaster that didn't seem all that natural. They had always envisioned themselves saving the world with superpowers and busting criminals as kids. That had been pretend and this seemed beyond what they could have came up with.

Max walked over to the door and held it open. "C'mon sexy pants let's go."

Chloe flicked a hand through her hair as if to toss it dramatically. She strutted out into the hall and Max followed her closing the door behind them.


	7. Should I Stay or Should I Rewind?

There was always a distinct smell to autumn air, the wind would carry the smell of the forest into Arcadia. In Seattle it was different somehow but now it reminded Max of days spent running around with Chloe dreaming of their future. No matter how many afternoons they did this, their plans always centered around them being together. Today felt different. From the moment that Max had woken up this morning she knew that to be true. She had spent most of the morning trying to pin it down. The answer was all too obvious when she found herself gazing at Chloe for more than a moment. She felt so silly but she couldn't help but worry if she took her eyes off of her, she would disappear. She had the power to alter reality, to change things how she wanted them to be, but all she ever used it for was to make sure that one thing remained constant.

"You're such a creeper." Chloe said with a smile. She had an eyebrow raised as she looked over at Max sitting in the passenger seat of her truck. They had just left Blackwell and were almost into town. Max hadn't noticed one of her gazes had turned into a full on stare. Max quickly turned away to look out the window feeling embarrassed. "Awww no, I think it's cute...like a cute creeper." Max looked back at her with a coy smile. The punk was nodding and her nose was scrunched up as she smiled fondly. "You're just so quiet and thoughtful when you do it. I always wonder what you're thinking about in that head of yours." Chloe leaned over checking herself out in the rearview mirror, "Or if I got some kinda thing on my face and you're trying to decide whether to tell me."

Max couldn't restrain her giggle and the heat in her cheeks subsided. Finally she replied matter-of-factly, "No, you're perfect." Chloe straightened up returning her eyes to the road but still smiling. It was a beautiful day and it was chilly out but the cabin of the truck felt cozy with the heater running on low. Max knew that it should rain today, it made her think of Kate. She hoped that she had gotten through to her this morning.

"You seem a lot better this morning. I was kind of worried about you last night." Chloe said but she was hesitant, Max could tell she was anxious about getting this right. "I know yesterday was hard for you and if you need to talk about it...I'm here."

Max just nodded acknowledging the offer, but she wasn't exactly sure how to take her up on it. She couldn't tell Chloe everything that Jefferson had done or what it was like. She knew that Chloe had felt she had failed when she found out that Jefferson had shot her and it had led to Max being taken. Max didn't blame her but she knew Chloe would blame herself.

Chloe continued this time more firmly, "I know you feel like you have to take on all of this yourself because you have this power but you don't." She glanced over, "You did say you brought me back with you to help." The way she said it however made it sound more like a question than a statement of what was true.

"You _are_ helping me Chloe." Max replied but it came out more defensive than she had intended.

Chloe kept her eyes on the road but frowned. "You want me to help with things that you think are safe for me to help with but if it's risky or something you think I don't want to hear, you won't share that. If we are going to do this then you have to share everything, even the bad things."

Max crossed her arms almost hugging herself. "And what do you want me to share?" Her chest tightened as if something was grabbing a hold of her and clenching her together so that nothing ugly would spill out for Chloe to see. "That I had to watch you die unable to use my power to save you? That it felt useless when I was in the dark room strapped to a chair? I had to use _Jefferson's_ pictures to time jump to moments of him taking them so I could find a way out."

Max's voice kept rising with each sentence and she could see that it did hurt Chloe to listen, just as she knew it would. She didn't want this but Chloe had opened that door and everything was tumbling out. "When I used them, Jefferson was there. He was using me for his art. I laid there, I couldn't move. He drugged me so I was dead weight, I was helpless. It was like being a prisoner in my own body. He talked to me and told me awful things. He told me after he was done he was going to kill me. I went through so many timelines trying to get out of there and set things right and most of them didn't have you in them. I knew if I got it wrong I'd never see you alive again."

Chloe turned to her again, her eyes were wet from blinking tears. "We are both adults now Max, I can handle it. Let me help you." She was pleading now, her voice breaking, it reminded Max of standing in the rain at the lighthouse. "You're always saving me and showing me how much you care. I don't feel like a lost cause around you like I did before. But now I see you carrying around this pain you won't talk about and it hurts me because it looks so familiar."

"Chloe…" Whined Max, the anger started to melt away. It was half to protest and partly a plea for Chloe not to press her on this. Max wasn't sure where following this direction would take her.

"No, Max. Listen. I can carry some of the weight and you don't have to tiptoe around me and tell me only what you think I want to hear." She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket adding bitterly, "I've really had enough with being left out on things and now that you can include me I don't have to be anymore."

Max heard the notes of pain in her words that normally only hid beneath her eyes. She uncrossed her arms and ran her palms back and forth on her jeans. "I'll try Chloe. I just don't want you to get hurt." She stared down into the floorboard. They travelled for a few minutes in silence before Chloe held out her hand for Max to take as if to ask 'are we ok?'. Max reached out and felt the girl's familiar grasp. It always made her feel safe and secure. She knew that Chloe only said something because she cared but it was hard to listen to.

They were coming into town and Chloe was making her way to the main road to take it out to the woods. What they would find out there Max couldn't guess, but she was hoping that it wasn't another dark room. A totem of some kind was supposed to be there but she wasn't exactly sure what she was supposed to do about it or how it would help. She could see they were coming up to a traffic light that had just turned green and Chloe had pulled her hand away from hers to point up to a building.

"Look. It's a…" Max followed her finger up to the roof of a building that they were getting closer to. She saw black beady eyes staring back at her.

"...Raven." Max finished for her.

HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNK

Max tried to warn her but it didn't matter, Chloe had heard it. Time seemed to slow down but this time Max wasn't controlling it. They were under the traffic light and the grill of a red semi truck was barreling for the door. Chloe let go of the steering wheel and half lept and was half thrown into the passenger side. Max felt arms wrap around her small frame while the steel cage they were in rolled upside down. The momentum of the spinning made her sick and her body slammed into the passenger door that groaned a threat of caving in.

 _Is that the pavement?_

The truck found itself upright again only to spin again. Max could see shards of glass breaking into a crystal spiral and feel them sting her face and arms. She felt Chloe push against her or was it pulling? She held her back tightly and there was a cry of anguish. The outside world through the busted windshield revolved once more. Max felt herself weakening, she struggled to stay conscious the beating her body was taking, it begged her mind to shut off. It wanted the pain to stop. A tendril of something wet was sliding down her forehead.

 _No. Chloe needs me._

Then time stopped. This time it was Max's doing. She felt Chloe clinging to her and could see that the truck had stopped upside down. She could see the pavement as it hovered so close to them as they hung suspended above it in mid air. The frame of the truck had been twisted forming dangerous shapes, all of which they could find themselves impaled on. Everything around Max had turned a grey hue and the air around them was warped and it quivered between the real and the intangible. It was like reality itself was shuddering.

"Max…? What is...this?" Chloe called out but her voice wasn't emanating from her mouth. It echoed in this death chamber of gnarled metal. It came from far away but seemed so close. Max looked around searching for the answer to the question. Her eyes fell back to the pavement and to the razor edged ruins of what was once was Chloe's truck. This was the moment before their death.

"Hold on." Max replied without the use of her lips. The world had stopped to ask her to make her choice. She concentrated and gave it an answer. Max and Chloe clung to each other as the truck started to spin in reverse. It's metal carriage repaired itself before their eyes. The tiny fragments of glass wound themselves together again melding together like puzzle pieces.

Then something popped. It was as fast as a blink, a cut in a movie. Max was sitting in the passenger seat and Chloe was driving again. They were speeding towards the green traffic light. The tires cried out in a screech as Chloe slammed on the breaks. Max could smell the burnt rubber and Chloe jerked the truck right. The truck came to an abrupt halt. Max felt her side elevate but to her relief the tires set themselves back down and the red semi passed them.

Chloe was clutching the steering wheel with both hands, her knuckles white from squeezing. She took a few breaths and looked over to Max scanning her up and down.

"Max. Are you okay?"

Max looked herself over and nodded as she tried to get her bearings. She wasn't injured and neither was Chloe. The truck wasn't destroyed. They were okay. Max looked up at the building across the street and Chloe's worried eyes followed hers. They both watched as the raven looked down at them and then spread his wings before flying away.

Chloe looked back at Max, "It tried to kill us."

"We have to get out of the middle of the road." Max replied as she put her hand on the dash to steady herself. She felt woozy from the rewind but it was fading. Chloe got them back on the road and they were on their way out of town now. Max rubbed her forehead and pinched the bridge of her nose. She couldn't concentrate but it didn't stop her thoughts from scattering themselves everywhere. It took a moment before she was able to focus on one at a time but at least there were no nose bleeds.

She watched Chloe. She was driving in a quiet shock at what she just witnessed. Max wasn't sure if Chloe knew what she had been looking at. Max knew she was suppose to be sharing. This was her moment.

"You asked me what that was back there." Max said and Chloe glanced over at her and nodded silently. "Sometimes things happen too fast for me to respond. When I get into a dangerous situation and I need to rewind, time will sometimes freeze and allow me to concentrate on the rewind. It's almost like time limbo. I feel like i'm doing it but also it's reactive. It only happens when I don't have time to react normally." Max's brow furrowed, "Like when you flinch? It's just something your body does without thinking. It's still you doing it but it's like passive, reflexive. It's like that."

Chloe placed a hand on the back of her neck and squeezed. "So we...were about to die?"

Max's released a breathy whisper, "...Yeah."

Their eyes connected and to Max's surprise she didn't see fear but something else that she couldn't place. "You were amazing back there Max. You saved me again. You saved us. We can beat this thing. It's no match for us because it failed. We are getting closer to the truth and it wants to stop us."

Chloe smiled at her and Max couldn't help but return it as it slowly became a grin. "I'm totally better than triple A."

"Hella."

Max giggled and scooted over to the middle seat so she could wrap her arms around the punk.

Chloe kissed her before turning her attention back to the road. Max rested her head on Chloe's shoulder and tried to process everything that had just transpired. Chloe had her arm around her and was rubbing her side with her free hand soothingly.

"Shit's getting real Maximus. That was crazy back there but we have to follow this through to the end. I'm not going to let some mangy bird get away with this." She saw Max smile at her attempt at levity as she looked down at her.

"It's really weird to think that this is the new norm for us." Max replied, then a thought hit her.

 _It tried to kill us_

Max raised her head up and Chloe turned to her slowly, the abrupt motion disrupting her investment in the cuddle. "Good?" She asked with a consoling note.

"What you said before, you said it tried to kill us."

"Well yeah. It has to be that raven spirit. It must have fucked with the traffic light." Chloe replied unclear on why Max was retreading this ground.

"But don't you see? It was another freak accident, like the ones that I had to save you from last week. You said that it was because I was using my powers to change things like your death. Like the universe was trying to right something I messed up."

"The first time you used your power, it was to save me." She answered biting her lip.

"This isn't happening because of my time powers. That spirit was always trying to stop us from the very beginning. The only reason we noticed it this time is because we are very close and it's getting desperate to stop us."

Chloe let out a laugh that was half a gasp, "Hah." She smiled at Max, "I'm not cursed then. This thing is afraid of us." She smirked, "It better be afraid, my girlfriend is a badass super hero and we are coming to kick it's ass."

Max chuckled and laid her head back down on the punk's shoulder. "We do need to be careful though."

Chloe checked her directions and found a dirt road that seemed weathered enough to be a path that would take them to Nathan's mystery spot. She drove halfway down the road before getting too close to the location. She turned around and parked on the side of the road so that just in case they needed to leave quickly they could. The rest of the way they would walk on foot. They weren't sure what this place was, and if anyone was there to spot them. Chloe pulled out a small brown canvas bag from underneath the seat.

"Nabbed this from step fuhrer's lair when I was getting my stuff for our extended sleep over. Has binoculars, a swiss army knife, compass, and just random crap that could help us. I wasn't sure what we would be doing or where we would be going. I figure these binoculars could at least let us scope out the place from a safe distance like recon."

"What would I do without you?" Max replied shutting the truck door.

The punk strapped the bag across her chest and closed hers. "Uh, let's see. First, no time powers. Second, be really freaking bored at Blackhell and not know your photography teacher is a psycho."

"I try not to think about it." She snarked, "Let's do this agent Price."

Chloe gave her a sloppy salute and together they walked through the trees sticking close to the dirt path so as to not get seen. The forest was dense here and even though they weren't wearing any camouflage Max figured that it would be difficult to spot them from a distance. It was quiet except for the autumn leaves crunching underneath their feet. Here the woodsy smell was strongest unlike the second hand version you could get anywhere in town. Chloe was trudging ahead, her boots stomping through the vegetation. Max couldn't help but smile at her, if she didn't know better it felt almost like they were on a normal hike and she looked cute with her survival bag.

Chloe stopped and held her hand out to stop Max. "Think I see something." She said low and she opened up her bag drawing the binoculars out. She put them up to her eyes. "It looks like a small warehouse."

"Out here?" Max asked softly.

"Yep. It's not very big but it's like a little bigger than the Prescott barn was." Max crept closer and peeked around the taller girl's shoulder. She could just make out between the trees a metal building ahead. Chloe handed her the binoculars over her shoulder and Max pointed them toward the wall. She could see that it did indeed look like a warehouse.

"I can't see the door. Let's get closer and walk around." Max said handing the binoculars back.

Chloe nodded and added a wave of two fingers forward in a squad leader gesture to move forward. Max shook her head and they snuck closer to the warehouse and circled around it from a distance. The dirt road stopped just before the building. It didn't appear that any vehicles were driving into it unlike the Prescott barn.

Chloe peered through the binoculars. "I see the door...and something else you aren't going to like." Max stood next to her and Chloe shifted the binoculars so she could see. Max put her eyes up to them. The door was now easily visible but standing beside it was a tough looking man in cargo pants and combat boots. Everything about him shouted hired thug but the thing that worried Max the most was the sidearm strapped to his hip. She spotted a key card badge hanging from a strap on his belt on the other side.

"Ugh. This is going to be tougher than last time. How are we going to get past him?" She turned to Chloe who was already grinning at her with mischievousness.

"Duh... timey wimey stuff of course."


	8. The Pact

"Okay, so any questions?" Max asked Chloe who was behind her. They had huddled behind a tree to make a quick plan.

"Nope. Let's school this clown." Chloe replied with a devious smile. Then, she had an idea as she glanced down at the shorter girl in front of her. "Oh, wait." She grabbed Max's shoulder wheeling her around to face her. The look of surprise on the brunette's face was almost better than the kiss. Max pressed her hands against Chloe's arms bracing herself before she relented slowly melting into them. The chill in the air faded away in this bubble Chloe had made for them. She had hijacked her senses. All there was here were hands clutching the small of her back bunching up the fabric of her hoodie and pulling her against Chloe's chest. There was her nose nuzzling against the side of her own and the hot breath they traded as their lips parted.

"What if he saw us?" Max whispered. Her tongue ran along her lip where Chloe's had just been. She knew the moment that she had asked that she didn't care for the answer.

Chloe held up the binoculars to her eyes pointing them toward the door to the warehouse. "Worth the rewind." She pulled them down and stuffed them back into the canvas bag. "Beef neck over there didn't see." She winked at Max. "Besides, I needed a good luck kiss."

Chloe walked around the tree and started towards the warehouse. Max was following her, she was still a little dazed by the surprise attack. She had kissed Chloe a lot recently but it wasn't losing it's luster any time soon. She felt like a dork for still being so caught up over a simple kiss. But it didn't feel like a kiss, it felt like a lot more. When Chloe did it there was so much passion behind it. She acted like she would never get another again. It wasn't desperate. It felt like something Chloe was sweeping her up into and then at its height letting her go. She didn't want to be let go. She was learning to like that sudden ache that pleaded for more. It was a special feeling that only Chloe had ever given her.

The guard was an older man, most likely in his late forties. His head had a shaved look to it with a layer of short brown hair covering his scalp. Most of his hair had migrated down to a beard that covered his face. He was wearing a brown leather jacket to keep warm. There was a chair next to him that was unused. He took notice of them as soon as they got close. His brow lowered as he looked them over, clearly annoyed they were there. Max assumed he had an easy job and wasn't eager to complicate it doing actual work warding anyone away.

"This heres private property. What are you two doing out here?" His voice matched his appearance, gravely and grouchy.

"We were hiking mister but we got lost." Chloe lied.

"That's a shame. Roads' over there. Dirt path will take ya back to the main road."

They came closer and the man appeared to get even more agitated. "Hey, didn't you hear me? You aren't suppose to be out here. I will call the authorities." The two girls were within 10 feet of him now.

Chloe put her hands on her hips. "Hey dude, chill. Which way is the road? I didn't want to yell to get directions."

He pointed toward the dirt path they had just came from. They had circled around to make it appear as if they had come a different way. As he was giving the direction, Chloe inched her way towards him. He didn't seem to notice as he regarded her once more.

"That way." He griped.

"You work for the government?"

"What?" He asked in amazement of the absurdity. A girl had come out of the woods to interrogate him. He had to ask to confirm that it was indeed what was happening to him.

"That building behind ya. You look like you're guarding it. You some kind of government security?" She took a few steps closer leaning to peer around him with curiosity.

"Uh, something like that. Listen kid. You better get out of here. You're trespassing."

Chloe's hand darted towards the badge hanging by his side but the man took a step back before she could grab it. He reached for his sidearm but before his hand could grip the handle it changed directions to move in reverse and he took a step forward planting himself back where he use to be a moment ago.

"Out of here. You're trespassing."

Max spoke up. "I'm sorry to have bothered you. Thank you for the directions." The guard's attention shifted over to her giving Chloe a moment of distraction. She lunged for the badge and yanked. The clip snapped off of his belt and the man pulled his gun training its sights on Chloe.

"THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?" He bellowed.

"This." Max answered as the rewind told him to holster his gun. He obeyed.

"Trespassing."

Chloe quickly plunged the card into her pocket pretending to put both hands into her pockets. Max smiled. "We don't want any trouble sir. Thanks for the directions."

He grunted a reply and gave them a sharp nod.

They walked away towards the road and ducked behind another tree so that the warehouse was still in view. Max held her hand out for Chloe to take. They interlocked fingers and Max saw their ghostly images walk back to the man and have their conversation in reverse before disappearing into the woods.

"You know we don't need to hold hands to rewind now right?" Chloe remarked with a smile handing her the keycard for the door.

"Yeah...but I want to." Max insisted sheepishly.

"Me too."

"Ready for part two?"

"Ready Super Max."

Max watched Chloe sneak behind the warehouse. She waited a moment for her to get into position just in case the guard spotted her and she had to rewind. Thankfully he didn't and Max started to run towards the guard. She flailed her arms wildly for added effect.

"Help me! PLEASE!" she yelled hysterically. The guard looked bewildered as she burst from the trees. "There's some kind of crazy person in the woods with a gun!"

"Hold up there missy. What the hell? What's going on?" He said holding up his hands in a stop motion but she had already ran up to him and was gasping as if to catch her breath. "Man. A gun. Tried to shoot me. I ran."

A gunshot rang out and the guard ducked down pulling his pistol.

"Fuck!" He swore.

"Over there! I saw him. Help me!" Max howled pointing away from the warehouse and into the forest.

"Stay here." He eyed the direction she had given and a panicked expression formed on his face. He gulped struggling to swallow his fear, "I'll check it out. Alright?" Pistol pointed forward and legs shaking the man inched forward out into the open. His head swiveled back and forth looking for the threat. Max grinned at the spectacle and stood by until he was far enough away before swiping the keycard against the reader. The door issued a satisfying click and she held the door open as she waited. It wasn't long before Chloe appeared beside her from the opposite side.

"Ever think of getting into drama?" Chloe joked putting David's gun back into her jacket.

Max held the door open for her, "All I had to do was picture Frank angry."

Chloe chuckled and Max followed her into the warehouse closing the door behind them. A pillar of light that fell from the ceiling was the only illumination in the otherwise unlit room. The roof of the warehouse had been modified to accommodate a single square pane of glass that shot a ray of sunlight on top of a large totem in the center of the room. There was a patch of grass surrounding it. The floor underneath Max's feet was concrete but an exception had been made where the totem stood.

"Mad Max?" In the darkness Chloe's body pressed against her side and a warm hand filled hers. "The rewind?"

"Yeah." Max replied without taking her eyes off of the room's centerpiece. She didn't have a visual reference but a short rewind should be enough to get the guard back to his post. She rewound what she believed to be the adequate time that there last charade had taken. The rest of the world blurred but the totem did not. It stood defying Max's command and she couldn't tear her eyes away from the face of the raven that was carved at its top. She ended the rewind and listened as Chloe fumbled around near the door in an attempt to locate a light switch. Several lights above them blinked on revealing the rest of the room. Gardening supplies were propped up against the wall on their right. It was enough to maintain the natural grass growing around the totem. Several groups of wooden crates were stacked against each other on either side of the door that they had entered in from.

Max could see behind the totem in the right corner of the room was a small office. A half wall marked the separate space that held a desk, chair, and an old looking trunk. Chloe had wandered over to one of the open crates to peek inside.

"It's food. Packaged stuff like at the bunker. Maybe they had extra or something?" Chloe said keeping her voice low so as to not alert the guard outside.

"Maybe." Max replied as she walked over to the desk. She pulled its center drawer open revealing a few pens and notepads. Whoever had written on them had tore the pages out and took it with them. After searching some of the other crates Chloe decided to inspect the trunk behind her. Max pulled another drawer open and inside she found a tape recorder that took the smaller tapes usually used for voice recording. She dug around inside the drawer finding a few small tapes that were unmarked. They looked unused. If there was a recorder, that meant there had to be some recorded tapes around here somewhere.

"Hey Chloe. Look what…" She turned around holding up the recorder to show Chloe. Staring back at her was a large face of a raven. Its beak was inches from her own face and its black abyss filled eyes absorbed her own. She scrambled back holding onto anything in reach for support. She fell back into the leather chair and heard a familiar laugh come from the raven. Chloe lifted up the painted mask and grinned at her still giggling.

"Oh my god. You are such an ass."

"Sorry, couldn't resist." Chloe was still smiling and strands of blue hair hung in her face from the placement of the mask on her head. Max knew as she looked into her blue eyes that she couldn't be mad. She sunk back into the chair as her heart slowed down from the mini heart attack that it just had. Chloe took off the headdress and it looked life like, even without being worn it made Max feel uneasy just looking at it.

Chloe walked over crouching down beside the chair and took her beanie off to straighten her hair. Max snagged it from her hand placing the beanie on top of her own head. She crossed her arms.

"Beanie privileges revoked."

"What? No fair." Chloe said feigning outrage but she was smiling and her eyes had a sparkle to them. She placed her hands on Max's arm that was crossed over her other and leaned up toward her. "I think it looks good on you." She said softly.

Max felt herself coaxed by the words as she uncrossed her arms. Chloe's hands remained and her eyes lit up with a fire as Max's hand cupped her cheek. The brunette moved forward bringing their lips together. Their eyes were open and Max gazed into Chloe's. This was exactly what she wanted. For Chloe to look at her like this. There wasn't any pain. There was only them. Max felt that familiar heartache. It wanted more and it threatened to implode if it couldn't have what it wanted. She pulled away before it became too much. Their faces were hovering close to each others.

"Thank you for being here with me." Max whispered.

"I don't want to be anywhere else." Chloe answered. Her was face was calm with some realization. She ran a hand through her hair one last time in an attempt to make sure it was right. "What do you have there?"

"Oh, a tape recorder. I found some blank tapes but I figure there has to be some recorded tapes around here somewhere. Anything in the trunk?" Max answered peeking behind Chloe at the raven mask abandoned on the floor.

Chloe stood up and looked down at the open trunk. "Uh, well. There's some freaky stuff in there. Rattles, a bone necklace, candles, feathers, and all kind of shit. I don't think any of it is useful." She pointed toward the raven mask, "You imagine Nathan or Sean in that getup? I wonder if they do a little dance too?" She smirked as she played with the idea.

Max pulled on the last drawer of the desk. It wouldn't budge, it had a key lock. She groaned and turned back to Chloe. "I bet this is where he keeps the good stuff."

Chloe moved over to take a look at the lock and nodded. "Yeah, like his best dance chants of 2012 on DVD. I think I saw a crowbar over there for the crates." Max wheeled the chair over to the trunk peering inside it as Chloe went to collect the crowbar. She was right, there was nothing but trinkets that she didn't know how to use there. Max spun the chair around to watch as Chloe fiddled with the drawer before she pushed down hard and broke the lock.

Chloe reached into the drawer, "Let's see the goods." She closed her eyes and stuck out her tongue for effect "Aha." She seized something and pulled it out to show Max. She was holding a few small cassette tapes that were labeled. One of them read "Nathan". The others had dates written on them.

"We can listen to these later." Max took the tapes and put them in her camera bag. "Anything else?"

"Nada." Chloe replied shaking her head. She stretched while Max stood up from the chair. Chloe leaned her head back into her hands and shrugged her shoulders. "Now what? This place isn't that big. Dead end? How about the totem?"

Max walked over to the totem slowly and Chloe followed putting her hands into her pockets. Chloe watched as Max stood in front of the totem and looked up at the raven carving at its top. Max could feel a power emanating from it's wooden form. She reached her hand out to connect to it. Her palm pressed against the column and it's power enveloped her.

One moment she had been in the Prescott's cold warehouse and the next she was standing in the sunshine. She was in the forest again but she was in a clearing now. Four totems stood before her. They were carved after different animals. A bear, an owl, a wolf, and lastly a raven. Max wasn't alone. One man stood out to her immediately. He looked native american and he wore a loose fitting robe that hung down to his knees. His hair was extraordinarily long almost touching the ground. His back was to the totems and in front of him were three men.

The man in front was middle aged with receding brown hair. He wore a suit that looked old fashioned. Max thought it looked like something out of a western. The two men that flanked his sides however weren't as expensively dressed. They wore long sleeved shirts and brown wool pants but they had revolvers at their sides. The man with the suit had his drawn. They hadn't seem to notice Max at all.

"I only need the raven." The leader said but he wasn't speaking in english. Max couldn't understand how she was able to comprehend. She had never taken a language class in her life especially one that would allow her to understand this.

"You do not understand. All must remain for balance to be preserved. One not above the others." replied the native. He placed his hand against the raven totem preparing himself to defend it if necessary.

The suited man chuckled and pulled back the hammer on his revolver. "Balance? I'm not interested. I'm going to tip it in my favor. The raven will make a pact with me."

 _Martin_

This must be him thought Max. She was having another vision like before but this time it was the past. The totem's past.

The native's eyes narrowed at the Prescott and his lips pursed in disdain. "Raven will never be satiated. It will take and take. It will take you."

Martin's face twisted in indignation as he squeezed the trigger and the native slumped to the ground.

"Get the wagon over here and let's start loading it up." The leader barked to his men.

The scene changed before Max's eyes. Only three totems stood above the abandoned body of their guardian. The doe spirit loomed over it and it watched over him saddened. She saw an owl swoop down to join the doe and beside him a squirrel. A wolf and a bear revealed themselves from the trees completing the circle. The spirits mourned their shaman before turning to look at Max. She felt the weight of their eyes upon her and she froze as they made their way to her.

"Me? Why me?" They didn't answer but she knew what they wanted. "Martin. He did this. Is that what this is? Sean is going to use the raven to send that tornado?"

"No." Max jumped as her eyes rose from the spirits to rest on the dead shaman's spirit. That one word boomed in her head carrying the echo of a giant. On his shoulder a blue butterfly fluttered its wings. He raised his hand to gesture towards the missing totem. "Raven has become too powerful. If balance is not set then the land will restore it."

A powerful force hit Max in the chest forcing her to her knees. She saw the tornado. It's roar deafening her and it's wind stinging her face. It was absolute as it spiraled around her. She could sense it's fury. She was trembling. It was so cold.

"Max? Max? Please Max." Her eyes fluttered open. Fingers were stroking her forehead with care. She was laying on the hard concrete floor of the Prescott warehouse. Chloe was sitting with her underneath her. She held up her hand to place it on Chloe's.

"Chloe. I saw something." Chloe helped her sit up on her own.

"Another vision? It better be something good because you played chicken with the floor and if I hadn't caught you the floor would have won." She let Chloe fuss over her checking her eyes and nose. Chloe ran the back of her hand against her cheek at last savoring that she had Max back to herself.

"I hate when you do this." Chloe complained.

"I know, but I have so much to tell you once we are out of here. Right now though...we have to destroy this totem."

"What? Why?" Chloe was confused but she was listening because plenty of crazier things had been said to her before.

"It's a source of power for the raven spirit. The Prescotts have been feeding into it with these offerings. We have to weaken it."

"What do you want to do?" Chloe said looking around for something to use.

"Fire. Can we burn it?" Max answered as she stood up. Chloe helped her to her feet just in case.

"Yeah. I think I saw a gas can over there with the other survival supplies. But what about Tex outside?"

"We set it on fire. Unlock the door and let him in. He will probably try to put it out and we use the rewind to escape."

Chloe went over to the crates and searched around until she came back with a small gas can. She started towards the totem.

"No. I'll do it." Max said holding out her hand for the can. Chloe shrugged and handed it over to her. She watched as Max shook the gas out of the can dowsing the totem in it.

Chloe glanced up at the top of the totem. "Fuck you bird." As soon as Max had emptied the can she pulled her lighter out and set the totem on fire. The wood blackened and it's carved faces warped in torment.

Chloe followed Max to the door as she unlocked it with the keycard and pushed it open. The older man spun around startled. "What in the hell? Who are…" His eyes darted behind them to the totem that was being consumed. "Oh shit."

"Yeah. You might want to do something about that." She shot back as she walked past him. Chloe came after her smiling in amusement. They both stood outside and the guard drew his weapon. Max sighed and the rewind forced him to holster it and take back his position. Even through the blur of the world turning in reverse Max could see the totem moving forward as the fire licked at the raven's beak. It seemed to be staring right back at her. It knew what she had done. The door closed and she could no longer see it.

"What are you two doing out here?" The older man asked.

"Hiking. Cmon' Chloe." Max answered casually.

Chloe laughed and the guard looked after them in confused amazement while they walked off toward the road. After they were out of eyesight Max rewound even that short conversation.

"I really never get tired of that." Chloe said smiling to herself. They were headed back to Chloe's truck. Max hadn't respond and Chloe glanced over to her. She was staring at the ground and Chloe figured she was on autopilot brooding over what the totem had showed her.

"Hey. Don't go all zombie face on me." Chloe wrapped her arm around Max tugging her closer as they walked side by side through the leaves. She took a moment to straighten her beanie on Max's head and kissed the side of it.

"Sorry. I'm just trying to connect all the dots." She replied shooting a reassuring smile up at Chloe and kissing her back on the cheek.

"I know. You're an open book to me Caulfield."

Max wrapped her arm around Chloe's side and squeezed. Birds were chirping and the wind rustled through the trees. The sounds of nature had seemed so beautiful and innocent to Max before she went into the warehouse. Now, things weren't the same. There was respect and there was also fear. The inhabitants of the sleepy town of Arcadia could not understand the forces at work around them. Max knew that this was the beginning, but this time Chloe and her would fight back.


	9. Visions of the Past

**A/N This chapter took me longer than I wanted to get out. This project is ultimately about improving my writing as much as it is sharing my story with such a great community. In this short time gap I've been consciously working on improving and I hope this chapter is proof of that. I didn't stop until what is written here conveyed exactly how I felt. I hope you all enjoy and I'm excited to show you more. -Your partner in time Dukkha**

"It's a new time power and it's freakin' awesome Max." Chloe said as soon as Max had finished telling her what she had saw in the spirit vision. "You can go back to the past, now you can see into the past."

Max was digging around in her camera bag gathering up Sean's recorded tapes in her hands.

"I don't know. It felt like it was the totem. I felt drawn to it like something was calling to me." She scanned each tape for some clue but the dates on their plastic casings meant nothing to her. The only one of value seemed to be the one named Nathan.

There was a length of silence while Chloe drove. The trees losing their coverings looked like a painter's idle work, their shapes blurring into a scene of orange and red hues as they sped past. Chloe glanced over towards the passenger seat rolling the question around in her mouth before asking. "So...what do you think Sean had to say?"

Max smirked before arranging an expression that Chloe had come to resent on David. On Max it looked completely ridiculous "Alright son. When I die you're going to have to put the raven head on and dance around. You will not mess this and my name up. I will now perform the proper squawking techniques for you." Chloe's mouth was agape as Max started to caw.

"You're such a dork." Chloe laughed before raising a finger to draw Max's attention. She copied Max's 'you can do no right' father face and pushed her upper lip up with the bottom as if to hold the heavy weight of David's mustache. "Everybody knows it goes like this." Max laughed hysterically falling over into the middle seat as Chloe began to belch out a rigid one note "Caw" in slow succession as if it was a chant done by an unimaginative soldier.

Max sat back up and the girls began to try to out-caw the other which soon dissolved into a fit of giggling. Max sighed contently still smiling at Chloe. "You've earned your beanie privileges back. That was fine squawkmenship." She plucked the beanie off her own head shaking her bushy hair out into its familiar shape as the beanie's suction offered to form something new. Max held out the punk's signature headwear for her to take but Chloe put her hand on top of hers instead.

Max sucked in a short breath as Chloe said, "No...no, I like when you wear it." The abrupt touch sent a spark through her manifesting itself into a shiver.

"Oh." Max choked out. She slipped the beanie back on. The sudden movements brought the smell of Chloe back to the surface.

"I mean...if you want to." Chloe said.

"I want to." Max smiled and waited before adding "Sexy Pants."

"You know I was just joking about that right?" Chloe said while adjusting herself so she could rest one hand on the wheel.

Max seemed to be considering it a moment before answering, "I think it really does fit though."

Chloe let the matter rest. This seemed like something she would make a big to-do about if only to get into a gushy pet name fight with Max. A bout of self awareness hit her as their shenanigans winded down. This moment grew in importance as if something profound had happened in their silence. She felt a desperate need to cling to it. She searched for what this feeling was. It wasn't the anger she felt at having David around to control her. It wasn't the self loathing when her Mom looked at her like she was a failure. It wasn't...wait...was that it? The end of her list? Was that all she ever felt anymore? It wasn't either of those.

Max was looking out the window. It was simply a moment of down time for a time lord that flitted through timelines as easily as one changing lanes on a highway. Chloe was afraid to lose this feeling. It was an oasis that she had finally found in a desert she had dragged herself through for years. Max always believed in her, like she could do anything but it wasn't expected. She would see the brunettes blue eyes light up with delight when they caught sight of her as if she was some new and exotic scene to capture with a camera lens. The instinctual desire to hold back tears came as she settled on what the feeling was at last. Contentment.

She was grateful that Max wasn't looking in her direction. She dabbed at the edges of her eyes with her fingers and settled back in her seat. Soon they were already passing down the same streets of Arcadia Bay that Chloe must have driven down a hundred times. She would drive at night to clear her head. The only time she was ever able to work through things that were bothering her, was when everyone else in the world was asleep. It wouldn't be long now before they would be at Blackwell.

"All of this makes me nervous." Max said, not taking her eyes off the passing buildings. "These spirits expect me to do something and I'm not even really sure of what exactly they want. It's already took me a whole timeline that we had to leave just to figure out where to get started."

Chloe said, "It's not like this whole shaman thing came with instructions. That's kind of what you are now, right?"

"I don't know. I mean I saw the old one die and then his spirit told me that if the balance between the Raven and the other spirits wasn't restored, that they would have to do it themselves. The way the spirits looked at me, I know they chose me. They gave me this power to set things right." Max said. She shrugged slumping down into the seat,"I don't know how they expect me to set balance but I want to make sense of all this. And if these tapes don't give us a new lead...then what?"

"You're doing the best you can Super Max. All of this was dumped on you and you didn't ask for any of it. I know you feel like it's your responsibility, like you have no choice, but it isn't. It's a decision you get to make."

"How can you say that?" Max crossed her arms and frowned. "You know what would happen if I didn't. So many people would get hurt and it would be from something I could have stopped."

Chloe pulled into the Blackwell parking lot. They were earlier than they had been last Tuesday. She turned the truck off and the steady heat from the vents ceased. The warm haze it left behind was soon invaded by the cold air that it had been fending off. Chloe turned to Max propping her leg up against the seat. Max was pouting and Chloe felt conflicted between having said something that upset her and how adorable she looked while flustered.

Chloe scooted over to the brunette while still facing her. Max didn't relent to the gesture but gave Chloe her attention. Chloe reached out and took Max's hand in both of hers. Max's face softened as the feeling of conflict between them diminished. All of the punk's intentions inferred with a touch. "Look Max. Ever since you've been gone I've had nothing but people trying to control my life and tell me what was best or what I should want to do. They made demands, threatened me with punishment…" She sighed. "...Lied to me. What these spirits want you to do is a big responsibility and it's dangerous."

Max placed her other hand on top of Chloe's. "I know."

"These spirits are the ones sending the tornado. The raven spirit might be the problem but don't forget the thing you are trying to stop is something they control. I don't want all of this to take it's toll on you instead of the bay. Whatever you decide I'm with you but it is a choice, don't think that it isn't."

Max fell forward into Chloe's arms and hugged her holding on to her. Chloe smiled and Max pressed her beanie covered forehead against Chloe's before kissing her. They parted and kissed once and then twice. Chloe buried her nose in the small crook of Max's neck and spoke softly, "Can we walk all the way to your dorm like this because it's cold and you're hella warm."

"I think people would stare."

"Let them. I think I'm used to it by now."

Both of them stepped out into the cold autumn air and Chloe walked beside Max drawing her small form in with one arm holding it against her side. Max eagerly nestled in seeking shelter from the unusual chill of the air. It should have snowed yesterday if everything was following last week's schedule but it didn't. The temperature had started to plummet instead making for an early winter. The cold wasn't the only thing that made her shiver as she considered the possibility that this week's natural phenomena could be different.

The pair crossed the campus and after walking through the courtyard, they went up the stairs to the girl's dorm. Max reached forward to open the door for them when suddenly it burst open knocking Max back. Her hand shot out instinctively but before she could activate the rewind Chloe was behind her to catch her.

"Hey, watch it!" Chloe barked.

Max blinked regaining her senses. Juliet had paused on the top stair. She opened her mouth to confront Chloe but her red puffy eyes lowered to the jostled brunette instead.

"Oh. Max. I'm so sorry. I was in a big rush and wasn't looking-"

"I'll say you weren't" Chloe growled.

Max placed her hand on Chloe's, who was still holding onto her side for support.

"It's okay Chloe. Are you alright Juliet?"

"I just need to be somewhere else right now. I have to go." Juliet said hurrying down the stairs and into the courtyard.

"What's her problem?" Chloe muttered. Max watched after Juliet until she was out of sight.

"I don't know. This timeline is becoming more unpredictable the more we change it."

The girls ascended the stairwell to Max's floor.

"I saw you go for the rewind back there before I caught you." Chloe said stopping before climbing another flight. Max stopped beside her.

"I have to be ready for anything now Chloe. I know I rewound that wreck we were in but I didn't catch it in time before it was too late. He caught me off guard."

Chloe's planted her boot on the next step and wavered a moment but she only nodded and went up the rest of the way with Max following close behind. The couple walked down the hall toward Max's room.

"Max?" A teary voice beckoned to her from an open door as soon as it's owner spotted the brunette walk past. Max walked over to Dana's room. Dana sat curled on her bed dabbing at stray tears. Used tissues littered the floor below her abandoned, much like the cheerleader was now. Max didn't know for sure who had casted Dana aside but she had a pretty good idea.

"Hey Dana." Max said. She hung to the side of the door frame debating weather or not she should get involved in this timeline. Chloe peeked over her shoulder.

"Come in please. Sit down if you want." Dana patted a vacant spot next to her on the bed. Max walked over to fill it but Chloe lingered outside. Dana sniffled and the two girls sat in a brief awkward silence. Chloe was the only thing Max allowed herself to really attach to no matter what timeline she jumped to. Dana's down casted eyes offered her a choice. If she didn't let others in, the more she time travelled the higher the chance turning cold or uncaring would be. She wouldn't allow herself to be like that.

It would be as easy as a flick of the wrist to rewind herself out of this but instead she asked. "What's wrong Dana?"

Dana drew her legs in and wrapped them with her arms as if to secure the answer. "Me and Juliet got into a really bad fight. I'm sure we were loud enough for the whole dorm to hear but…you didn't. I know we don't talk very much but you seem kind of nice and…"

Max smiled. "No, I understand." Dana flinched as Max surprised her with a hug. The cheerleader returned it and smiled back.

"Juliet thinks I was trying to steal her boyfriend away from her but I didn't. She keeps saying that someone told her but she won't say who it is. Then today apparently Zach told her all this crap about me that's not true about how I was sexting him and he wasn't responding to it. She's my best friend but now she hates me." Dana leaned back against the wall spent from venting her troubles.

"If she's your best friend then she certainly doesn't hate you. She can't stay mad at you forever. When she's calmed down, you and her can sit down and talk. Then, you can tell her the truth."

Dana nodded absently. She noticed Chloe slowing pacing outside her door.

"You're friends with Chloe Price?"

"Uh...actually. Hey Chloe come here." Max said. It caught the blue haired girl off guard. For once Chloe was out of her element. She slowly approached them and raised a hand to say hello to Dana which fell limply to her side.

"Sup."

"Chloe's my girlfriend." Max blurted out.

A jolt shot through Chloe like she was a lightbulb as she straightened up and her cheeks began to glow crimson.

"Ooohhhh." Dana replied savoring the juicy morsel of gossip.

"Oh no." Max gasped. "Did you not want me to tell her? I can rewind." She raised her hand as if anticipating the answer.

"No wait." Chloe said. "I think it's sweet. You're sweet Max, for telling her."

"Um…" Dana said looking back and forth between them.

Chloe scratched her head. "I mean...I'm just saying if you tell Dana here than you know she's going to blab to everyone about it. I didn't know if that was what you wanted."

"The fuck?" Dana sat up as the pair continued to discuss the matter without her.

Max stood up and placed her hands on Chloe's hips "I want everyone to know Chloe. In this timeline or any others, I want them to know how proud I am to have you."

"Oh…" The punk stammered. "Don't rewind it."

"What the hell is going-"

"Ooohhhh" Dana said repeating her reaction.

Max stood up again and hugged a now grinning Chloe. Max said, "She's been my best friend most of my life and it was just so natural that we got together when I came back. It was like I never left."

Dana stretched before sitting up at the edge of the bed. "That's sounds so sweet. I think you both make a great couple."

Max stood beside Chloe. "I need to get going Dana. I won't be in class, I have some family stuff to take care of today but it was so good talking to you."

"Thanks for the talk Max. You or Chloe can stop by anytime." Dana waved them out as the pair left the cheerleaders room.

Max and Chloe walked over to the brunettes dorm room door. Chloe opened it and Max placed a hand on Chloe's arm. "I need to check on Kate before we go through our evidence."

Chloe glanced down at the brunette's camera bag and smirked. "I won't start without you." Chloe closed the door behind herself and Max walked over to Kate's door. A few raps and footsteps later Kate was at the door with her notebook in hand. She looked better or at least Max hoped that she was.

"Hey Max. I was just on my way to class."

"Hey Kate. I just wanted to check in on you and make sure you were doing alright." Max fumbled with the flap on her camera bag.

Kate gave a subdued smile. "I'm doing better since our talk but it's still hard."

"Here look at this." Max opened her bag and held it out so she could see inside. On top was the tape recorder and the other dated tapes next to her camera. "I told you I would find evidence about what happened to you and this is some of that. I need to listen to them so I won't be in class but listen to me Kate. I'm close to figuring out all of this."

Kate looked inside the bag as if it held a mass of coiled snakes. She reached in slowly and picked one of the tapes up with two fingers waiting for it to bite her. She read its label, "Nathan". Kate lowered the tape back down and clutched her notebook against her chest.

"Thank you Max. But I think this is getting too dangerous." Her eyes darted around the empty hall searching for hidden spies. "What...what did you have to do to get this? Where?"

Max closed her bag. "I can't tell you right now but once I have what I need, I will go to the police and they will arrest everyone involved including Sean. He's not getting out of this. I need more time Kate just trust me. I have help, so I'll be safe."

Kate eased the grip that she had on her notebook freeing it from it's contortions, "I have to get to class but Max?" The blonde placed her hand on Max's bag as if to keep the vipers contained within.

"Be careful. I don't want you to get hurt on my account."

"I won't" Max replied. She watched as Kate left. She hoped she was doing the right thing involving Kate. She knew the longer that it took for Jefferson and Nathan to get busted in this timeline the longer that Kate would suffer. Max had to make sure that Kate was safe and everyone involved was exposed including Sean.

The brunette walked back over to her door and opened it slipping inside. Chloe was laying down on her side on the bed. She had managed to kick off one boot and grab her one eyed teddy bear before falling asleep. Max pulled off the remaining shoe and draped a blanket over her. Chloe let out a sleepy moan of approval. Max wondered why she was so tired. It could be her own fault for keeping her up last night or the rewinds they did today but Max felt fine.

Max sat down and laid the recorder and its tapes out next to her on the couch. She connected her ear buds to the recorder and inserted Nathan's tape. It seemed like the most interesting one to start with. She put the buds in her ears and pressed play. There was a faint crackle as it came alive. Uneasiness slithered through Max as the dead air on the tape played like it held a vacuum. It was a dark void of sound and she was afraid of what would wriggle its way out of it.

" _If you are listening to this then-"_

 _Knock. Knock Knock Knock._

Max jumped pushing herself away from the door her legs folded underneath her. Had Sean come for what was his? She switched the tape off and rolled to the floor scrambling to cram the evidence underneath the couch.

"Just a minute." Max called out. She gave her room another once over before standing up and approaching the door. She took a breath and steeled herself before opening the door.

"Maxwell Silverhammer! How's it going?"

Max deflated as she let out a breath she was holding. "Hey Warren. I'm okay but I'm dealing with some family stuff. My aunt died so I'm helping my parent's get everything ready."

Warren made the motion for a hug and stopped halfway when he spotted the sleeping Chloe on the bed. Instead he diverted his hand back up to his head running it through his hair. "I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you're doing alright I just came to pick up my flash drive."

"Right. Let me get that for you." Max retrieved the flash drive and handed it to warren. "Me and Chloe watched Blade Runner last night so thanks for letting me borrow it."

Warren did his best to hide his disappointment with a smile. "Anytime. I didn't know you and Chloe Price were close. She's uh…"

Max waited for him to finish the thought but he didn't instead jamming the drive into his pocket. "I should let you get back to it but text me if you want to talk. Ya know about your family stuff or whatever."

"Thanks Warren, I will."

She closed the door and rested herself against it. Her hand went to straighten her hair and instead it hit the beanie. She smiled remembering she was still wearing it. Max pulled the recorder and tapes out from underneath the couch and sat back down. After putting the earbuds back in and settling in she pressed play.

" _If you are listening to this then the time has come for you to take over the family business. I hope I have had time to instill the values and responsibilities as head of the Prescott family. Your great great grandfather Martin Lewis Prescott secured our destiny when he obtained our family's totem. It is the conduit to our family's spirit, the raven. It looks after us and guides us to success. I have already taught you how to uphold our pact with it and I pray that I have shown you by now the power it affords us. My father Harry and I have spent our lives studying how to use our blood given gift to achieve our ends. It is your responsibility to continue the research. My library including the Prescott collection of knowledge will be passed down to you for posterity. Use your gift, and anything that you want in this world will be obtainable; your obstacles crushed. You must create a family of your own and pass what I have taught you down as I have and my father Harry before me. I love you son."_

The voice slinked back into the darkness and the recorder clicked as Max pressed the stop button. The information that Max had digested made her sick. She wanted nothing but to throw it back up and get rid of it. Sean had twisted what his family had really done and the truth of what the raven really was. Did he even know the truth or had Harry fed him this load of bull long ago?

Chloe looked content rolled up in her blanket and Max couldn't resist getting up and walking over to her. She leaned down to kiss her and pressed her hand on Chloe's shoulder. The moment Max made the contact she was no longer standing in her dorm room. Darkness swirled around her inventing alien shapes. A knot grew in her chest crippling her with a reminder of the past.

 _Where am I? The dark room?_

Her eyes focused on a black form that convulsed itself into something she recognized. A bed. Other misty forms took on a desk, a chair, then a closet and window until she was standing in Chloe's room. The drawn curtain radiated a soft glow from the street light outside. Chloe was wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and her hair hadn't been colored yet. Max had almost forgot what she looked like without the neon blue and halo of purple. She was glad that they were alone. She should be the only one to see her this way, this vulnerable. Her half naked body was shuddering as she grieved.

Max reached out with the burning desire to protect her. "What's wrong baby?"

Chloe couldn't hear her. Her hand lay slack across the bed clutching onto her phone. The screen was illuminated and Max sat on the bed to get a closer look at it. Chloe had sent a text that was directed to her. It read one word.

Max.

It was timestamped January 3rd 2010 2:16 AM.

Max reeled away. "No…"

She stood up before her heart dropped to her knees forcing her down against the side of the bed. "Chloe I'm so sorry." Chloe closed her eyes folding into herself. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Max reached out and suddenly she was kneeling beside her own bed in the present.

"Are you watching me sleep now creeper? You are really upping your game." Chloe said giving her a groggy smile.

Max threw herself over on Chloe hugging her. She gave her a kiss and smiled. "No I just came over to do this." Max looked around the room. The shadows were gone. Photography paraphernalia lined the walls. She was definitely back in her own room. She gazed over her shoulder and her eyes rested on the recorder. "I listened to one of the tapes and it made me feel sad."

Chloe sat up and held Max. Her hand glided along the brunettes jaw and cheek checking for phantom injuries. "You sure that's all? You looked scared for a second."

"The tapes just creep me out. But if you listen to them with me then I'll feel better." Max held Chloe's hand preventing it from investigating further. She kissed the tips of her fingers savoring Chloe's presence. The invisible barrier between them in that dark memory had fallen and now Chloe could feel her touch again and listen to her voice saying it's okay.

Chloe hummed a note of curious arousal. "You know how to wake me up." Chloe pushed her chest forward brushing up against Max's on purpose so she could stretch. Her back let out a pop of support as she relieved the tension. Chloe winked at her, "Sorry I dozed for a second there. Let's get started Bat Max. I'm going to need a pipe and a moleskine notebook."


	10. Leaving Blackwell Behind

" _And once I asked Yaahl to show me what came next, I witnessed a great tornado rip through the harbor. It was massive. It was unlike anything I had ever seen before. It destroyed Arcadia. I was terrified, of course. Right there, in the middle of my vision I shouted for Yaahl's guidance. He flew over the ruins and where his wings glided over new buildings appeared. The transformation continued, even deep into the forest, and that is when I saw it. A gated estate built after the storm. A sign read Pan Estates. I knew then what was coming and that this storm was a gift to me from the Raven. This town would finally be remade in the Prescott image. Martin's dream would be realized."_

Max pressed the stop button and set the tape on rewind. As the tape spun in reverse she wondered if this was what it looked like when she used her power. Somewhere a large track of ethereal tape was being pulled backwards. Or was what she was doing more like when the tape ran off the spool and flew off in every direction becoming a tangled mess? She hoped not. She was always the one to have to fix the tape when Chloe let it get that way.

Chloe was sitting crossed legged across from her on the couch with the recorder in between them. Once the tape had reset, Chloe ejected it and inserted a new one. "Last one." Max may have stretched the truth about how much these tapes made her uncomfortable. Nonetheless, she was grateful to have her here helping, even if most of it was silly banter.

"I hope this one has something good on it. It's the oldest one dated." Max said. Chloe could detect her anxiety. She put her hand on the brunette's knee. She had gotten really good at reading Max's subtle expressions and gestures. It made Max both grateful and a little nervous that someone could read her so well.

Chloe squeezed her leg, "If this doesn't have anything useful on it for your high shamaness, then I will personally break into Sean's house so I can get you something."

Max couldn't resist a giggle as she imagined the punk putting her foot through the Prescott family door with a 'Here's Chloe!' for extra effect. "Here's hoping you don't have to get arrested." Max pushed the play button on the recorder.

" _Something odd happened today…"_ The recorder went silent and both girls looked down at it to check if the tape was still rolling. " _A man visited me today. I had never met him before but I heard a knock on my door. I open it, and imagine my surprise when I see a native looking man on my front step. Well really...it shocked me, but I asked him what he wanted. He said that his name was Joseph. Joseph Chouneau. I am recording it here for future reference. He identified himself as a volunteer who assisted a cultural center which he did not name regarding the Haida tribe. He proceeded to explain that he was a descendant of the tribe and had studied it's shamanism rituals. So I played dumb. I repeated my question inquiring why he had sought me out. He saw right through my ruse and cut to the chase. He accused me of having a dark spirit in possession of my body and demanded that I immediately allow him to draw it out. I told him I had no idea what he was spouting and told him to leave my property before I had him locked up. He did, but I may have to do something about him, especially if he shows up again. He didn't claim to be a shaman but he was able to detect that I had communed with Yaahl recently. Equal parts refreshing and irritating that I had finally spoke with someone with almost as much knowledge as I have on the subject. If I have to make a move at least I have his information recorded for myself and Nathan."_

Chloe hit the stop button and set the tape on rewind. "Well that one was hella more interesting than the one on how to make a protection trinket."

"Joseph Cho- Choun- Joseph Chouneau." Max repeated to herself.

"He sounds like just the guy we need to talk to. He knows about all this spirity stuff and he knew Sean was packing dark voodoo. He is sure to have more information on Yaahl."

Max sighed and leaned back on her hands, "Yeah right, all we have is a name and he didn't even say where he worked."

Chloe stood up, "Not a problem. Your loyal minion has an idea." She walked over to Max's computer and sat down and started to type.

"Really?" Max asked brightening up. She sat up and followed Chloe over to her desk. Looking over the punk's shoulder, Max saw her search different spellings of Joseph's last name.

"If he's done work as a researcher, than usually they list the names of people who have contributed to it." She clicked on a website and a page full of Haida artifacts displayed on the screen. Max watched as Chloe searched a few pages until she scrolled to the bottom catching sight of Joseph's name. A work email was listed beside it as a contact for further contributions. "This is the Winfield cultural center. Winfield is about an hour north from here."

Max almost broke into a dance. She placed a hand on Chloe's shoulder and leaned in close. "Send him an email. Tell him we want to meet him."

Chloe turned to her, "What do you want me to tell him? Has time powah's halp plox?"

Max shoved her shoulder and whined, "Noooooooo." She huffed to herself. What would she say? Chloe was pulling her email up now and drafting a new one. The punk looked up at her expectantly. "He knew something was wrong with Sean and he wanted to fix it. So let's work off of that. Tell him that we know about his visit to Sean Prescott and that we know that the raven spirit Yaahl is involved." Chloe typed as Max dictated. "Also that we want to help him but that we have to do it together. For that to happen we need to meet him."

"Alright short and sweet. It's sent. I hope he takes us seriously. If we have to, we can visit the cultural center ourselves and ask around for him."

Chloe scooted the computer chair back and turned it around to face Max, beaming at her. "You're the best minion ever. I couldn't do anything without you." Max said. She seized the opportunity to sit in Chloe's lap and she straddled the punk's legs.

"Oh, well...ya know besides controlling time and space." Chloe demurred. She wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist, satisfied at having full access to her. Max's face dipped down shying away from the fury's gaze. Chloe smiled. Even when Max was in a position of control and domination, she could still be submissive. It made her want to both take and give in equal measure. The clash of two opposite desires filled her with an ache that pleaded with her to be released.

Chloe squeezed Max's ass with both her hands. The brunette inhaled a gasp of surprise but exhaled a pleased moan. She pushed her hips into Chloe's both directing her to continue but at the same time encouraging her to lead. The ache bubbled over and it drove Chloe wild. She tilted her head back and pushed her lips hard against Max's. Arms encircled her neck drawing their bodies closer. A teasing lick against her tongue drove her to seek out Max's but the brunette pulled away. She began to suck on Chloe's outstretched tongue held between their lips. A short whimper was enticed from her at Max savoring how she tasted. She fumbled with the button on Max's jeans and met no resistance. Max ran her hands along Chloe's shoulders and her neck as each kept their eyes locked on the other in mutual passion.

Chloe's hand dived past Max's waistband and her fingers sought out Max's own ache. She wanted nothing but to be the one to please her. No one else. She wanted to watch the wave of release hit her and know she had caused it. Her finger hit the point of pent of pressure and flicked. Max's body trembled at the touch and she grabbed Chloe's arm. The blue fury leaned in and slowly kissed her with a sensitivity that was as powerful as her fingers. Their lips barely touching Max whispered, "I love you Chloe."

"I love you Max." Her desire was hotter than Chloe could imagine, it dripped between her fingers as she probed it's depths. Their faces hovered close to each other. She loved listening to Max's coo's and high pitched whimpers as she coaxed the pleasure with her finger allowing her thumb to play with her button. She could tell the wave was growing near it's peak.

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

The wave split in two and crashed within itself. Chloe pulled her hand away and Max balanced herself holding onto the punk's shoulder. The world began to spin in reverse around them undoing everything that had happened but not between them.

Chloe felt terrible, the moment had been broken and she wanted nothing but to finish what they had started. It was the something special she had always wanted to share with Max and even when she had it, she managed to mess it up. She put a dry hand to Max's cheek, "I'm sorry Max. Whoever it is, I'm about to kick their ass. I'm so sorry."

She wanted to blame herself but Max's eyes didn't allow her, they were understanding and not disappointed. Max smiled and placed her hand on Chloe's. "You are hella hot baby. We will have our time. I promise." The brunette looked at Chloe's other hand and blushed. She stood up and handed her something to clean it with. "You better open the door. I...need to cool down for a second."

Chloe crossed her arms and nodded.

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Chloe swung the door open. David was standing on the other end. His face twisted into anger and quiet frustration. "I figured I'd find you here. There's -"

"Listen here you clam jamming asshole. For once in my life I'd like a little peace and quiet especially when I'm trying to bang my girlfriend." David's mouth flew open but didn't speak befuddled by the verbal barrage of unexpected information. "But no! You had to traipse your overly compensating mustache down here to ruin everything. Because you're day isn't over until you've marked the checkbox next to 'fucked Chloe over' on your list of people to piss off." David sputtered but Chloe in one swift motion slammed the door in his face and locked it. She spun around to face Max who wore a similar expression of shock as David.

"Ok I feel better, go ahead and do it."

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Chloe opened the door again.

"I figured I'd find you here. There's a police officer here, officer Berry, who just showed up asking for you and your friend Max here."

It was Chloe's turn to be surprised. "What?!" She asked in disbelief.

"Now I told him that I didn't want him making a big scene with you so I asked him as a favor to let me escort you and Max to him out in the parking lot. He wants to talk to you at the station." David's anger subsided and all that remained was a disappointed man uncomfortable with his inability to improve the situation. Max could tell, David was scared for Chloe.

"What about?" Chloe demanded. "I haven't done anything wrong."

David stepped inside and closed the door. "Chloe, please." His tone was one of someone who had heard this all before. "Sean Prescott has cameras on his property. Property, which you and Max trespassed on this morning. Not to mention, he is suggesting that there was property damage and that you caused this while you were there."

"David I didn't-" Chloe protested but David held his hand up to stop her.

"A fire Chloe. A damn fire. If he has you on camera near a building that caught fire and...with your past record? We are looking at arson if he can tie you to this. Now look. The reason officer Berry is here is because he came here on behalf of Sean. He said Mr. Prescott wanted to talk to you and that there could be a chance that he would not press the charges. We have to take this Chloe. I want you to go with Andy and talk to Sean and see what he wants for him to drop all of this."

Max couldn't help but feel sad for David. He looked like a soldier having a losing last stand while still trying to desperately hold onto his last breath of life. Both her and Chloe knew that David had grown to care about her. For all their disagreements and battles, it was here in the quiet moments, the transition between life changing events that David stood with Chloe, by her side, attempting to help any way he could.

"We have to tell him." Chloe said at last to Max. "You know this is a ploy from Sean to capture us before we can do any real damage. The cat is out of the bag and he knows we know. We need David's help to bust Jefferson and Nathan and that will slow Sean down while we track down Joseph."

"Tell me what? What about Jefferson and Nathan? Was that why you were out there on Sean's property?" David said.

"Okay, we tell him." Max concluded.

"Everything Max…" Chloe hesitated, "If you can include me in the rewinds then you should be able to include David."

"I…" Max began. She had never really considered it. She didn't know what would happen or even if it would work. Chloe was special.

"Please try, for me." Chloe said. David was looking back and forth between them like Dana had before as if they were aliens chattering away in a foreign language. Max nodded. She would try.

"If I don't take you two down to Berry right now, the deal will be off and I won't be able to protect you."

"David, just trust me, for once. Watch." She scanned the room looking for something, "We're going to need a demonstration." She pulled the revolver out of her pocket and aimed it at Max's window.

"Is that _my_ gun?"

Chloe pulled back the hammer and shot the window. David watched horrified as his control of the situation shattered into a million pieces. He started to shout an objection, but the words were lost the moment they left his lips, fading into another timeline. The fragments of the window slowly picked themselves up off the floor and before his eyes assembled themselves back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Max could see both Chloe and David in perfect clarity while the rest of the world blurred around them rearranging itself. A power surged through Max like she had never felt before. The ability to rewind hours or even days were at her fingertips. The bullet glided back into the barrel of the revolver and the cylinder turned to it's previous position. The hammer fired in reverse and Max released the rewind. David stood motionless, attempting to understand the incomprehensible. His eyes were fixated on the unbroken window, the gears turning underneath them were grinding to a halt.

Chloe put her hand on his arm to steady him. "We should explain from the beginning."

* * *

David was sitting down on Max's bed holding his own folder of collected evidence. The coordinates he had tracked and pictures he had taken along side his notes were all here. But it wasn't his. It belonged to another David in another timeline. _His_ notes were at his house in the garage secured behind a padlock.

"So you're saying that I've done this before?" He asked. He squeezed the folder between his hands testing its integrity as if it might vanish any moment. Max and Chloe were sitting together on the couch across from him.

"Yes you had Jefferson and Nathan arrested and you saved my life when I was captured." Max answered.

"You saved Chloe with this power?"

"I did. Like I said, it's what triggered it in the first place."

"And finding this man? Joseph? He can help you figure out what you're suppose to do with it?"

Max nodded. Chloe and her had spent almost an hour telling him everything that had happened in the previous timeline and some of what would happen if they didn't do something. It would need time to sink in. She could see David wrestling with the idea that all of this was even real but unable to deny what he had saw Max do. They had left the parts out about her and Chloe being in a relationship. Max figured that one more reveal might push David over the limit of what he could handle right now. She assumed if he didn't pick up on it now then another time would be appropriate.

David sat in silence contemplating. Chloe glanced out the window she had used for her demonstration and it caught Max's attention as well. Max's forecast from the past told her today it was suppose to rain but snowflakes were drifting past the glass. They weren't late from yesterday. The temperature had finally dropped low enough to cause it. David turned to look at the snow.

"That's this week's sign. The temperature and the snow. That means it's coming doesn't it? The tornado?" David said.

"Yes." Max said.

David stood up having made up his mind and the girls looked up at him waiting for his answer. The question had been asked as soon as they had started explaining everything to him. Max and Chloe knew that everything hinged upon that unspoken question. Do you believe us?

David held up the folder that Max had returned to him. "I'm going back to officer Berry and showing him all of this. We are going to find that dark room and take that scumbag Jefferson to jail." Chloe jumped up and hugged him. David almost stumbled back but caught himself. He held Chloe awkwardly and then despite himself squeezed her in a hug.

Chloe stepped back and David put his hand on her shoulder. "Chloe, I'm sorry about what happen to Rachel. We'll find her out there where you told me. There has to be evidence that links Jefferson and Nathan to her murder there too." Max smiled as a tear slid down Chloe's cheek. Ever since David had saved her she had wanted him and Chloe to find an understanding. At first she wasn't so sure about telling someone else about her power but it felt right seeing Chloe and David having their moment.

"Thank you...David" Chloe said.

Max could never recall a time in which David smiled but he did as he said, "I want you and Max to go find Joseph and do what you have to do. The Prescotts have gotten away with a lot of bad deeds but it ends now. I'll try to help any way I can and if doing this will distract Sean so you can do what you need to then I will." He opened the door to leave and stood on the threshold.

Max joined Chloe standing by her side. "Mr. Madsen. Thank you so much for this."

David leveled a finger at her, "You take care of Chloe. I don't care what time joo joo you have to do, you just keep her safe."

"I promise." Max said.

The door closed and he was gone.

Max's laptop dinged behind them. Both girls spun around and then raced to the desk. Chloe slid into the chair and checked Max's emails. "It's him Mad Max."

"What does it say?"

"He wants to meet in Rinow park in Winfield today at three. He wants to know how he will identify us." Chloe typed a reply. "Alright, I'm telling him to look out for two girls sitting on a bench or picnic table. One with a grey hoody and the other with blue hair. He can't miss that."

"Good idea. I can't believe he wants to meet so soon. We need to get going now if we want to make it in time." Max said.

Chloe stood up and hugged her. "I'm going to take my bag with my clothes and stuff. You should pack something too. We don't need to be here where Sean can find us."

"I guess you're right. Sean already sent his police dog after us. He could send someone else." They parted and Max dug around in her closet pulling out a black bag for her clothes. She packed it with a week's worth of clothes and put her shower kit inside of it. Chloe helped pack her laptop up in her laptop case.

"It's going to be cold. Do you have anything heavier than that hoodie?" Chloe asked as she surveyed their collected baggage resting on Max's bed.

Max went back to her closet. "I like this nurturing side of you." She said over her shoulder. Max pulled a brown leather jacket out and held it in front of her to show Chloe.

"Hey, that's a badass coat. It's kind of like mine except brown." Chloe smiled.

Max shrugged, "My dad got this for me last year but I wasn't going to wear it. You like it?" Max had always thought it made her look tougher than she felt. But maybe not anymore. She felt strong and confidant. Things were looking up for them and soon they would be meeting someone that could be an ally and finally give Max more answers. She could see herself now standing beside Chloe, tough enough to wear it.

"I think you'll look hella sexy in it, like a bad girl. And bonus points for keeping you warm."

"That's what I have you for silly." Max said with a wink. Chloe smirked and helped Max gather up their baggage.

As they were leaving, Chloe took one last look at Max's room before closing the door and declaring, "Road Trip!"


	11. The Day the Shaman Stood Still

A frigid grip had wrapped its fingers around Arcadia, choking the warmth out of every corner of the bay. In the void of it's next breath all that remained was numbness. Max wondered if this was how the spirits felt? A detached, almost callous view of the people here. All that mattered to them was that balanced was restored. Chloe had turned on the heater to defrost the windshield as soon as they had finished packing their luggage under the seat. They were now sitting in a clump of traffic that had formed because of the snow on the outskirts of Arcadia.

"A few snowflakes fall from the sky and now everyone has suddenly lost the ability to drive." Chloe complained honking the horn. She cut around the offending car causing the driver to issue a honk of their own. "Yeah, fuck you too buddy." Chloe offered a clear view of her middle finger through the truck's back window. Once they had made their way onto the main road leading out of Arcadia, things quieted down.

Max scooted across the seat, taking care to avoid kicking their bags, so she could sit next to Chloe. It was too silent, like the cold had created a vacuum draining all of the sounds of life with it. She snuggled into the taller girl's side. She needed something warm, something alive, to combat the feeling of utter loneliness that the long stretch of road inflicted. Nothing was more alive than her Chloe. She couldn't help but turn her face up at her and smile as she felt Chloe's arm wrap around her.

The taller girl caught her out of the corner of her eye and smiled back. She adjusted the collar on Max's brown leather coat. "You look hella cute in that."

"Thank you." Max kissed her cheek. She had insisted that Chloe take her beanie back so that it could refill on the Chloe smell. However, Max did agree to put on the coat to stay warm without the help of headwear.

Chloe let out a yawn. Max started to lower her head down against the taller girl's shoulder but stopped. She thought of Chloe passing out on her bed briefly when they got back to Blackwell. She hadn't put too much thought into it until now. She lifted her head back up.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you something."

"Anything Bat Max." Chloe tilted her face toward Max to acknowledge the question.

"You seemed tired when we got back to Blackwell. I don't want to wear you out with all these rewinds. You feeling alright?"

Chloe centered her eyes on the road. She could see guilt stirring beneath them as Chloe bit her bottom lip in thought. She immediately regretted her promise of "anything" that she had given Max. "You told me before, when you brought me into the rewinds, that you just altered it by thinking about it and willing it. When you started to rewind again I tried something like that too…"

Max sat up, "Chloe...what did you do?"

"When you rewound, I pictured myself powering it more than you did. It worked." Chloe sighed, "But I did over do it when you rewound back at the dark room. I got that nosebleed. I wanted to alter them so it took more juice from me instead of you. But it made me really tired after what we did in the forest this morning."

"But...why?" Max asked. She couldn't believe that Chloe had been doing this all along. The most troubling part is that she hadn't felt her doing it. Max had felt stronger and the rewinds didn't feel as straining but she had assumed it was because she was getting better at them.

Chloe looked ashamed as she admitted, "Because, if anything happens to you Max, then we are totally screwed. You're more important. Without you, we can't do the rewinds at all. I can take it and if it got too much for me, I would let you know. I already told you I would say something."

Max put her hand on Chloe's stomach as if the rewinds could have already withered a part of her away. "I can't believe you didn't tell me you were doing this. You're the one that said we shouldn't have any secrets, especially about my power. I just didn't think you would be the one hiding something from me about it."

Chloe hung her head and looked down at Max's small hand holding onto her to keep her from melting into time dust. "I know and that's why I'm telling you now. I didn't lie alright? I want to be useful and this is my way." Her confession began to sound like a plea and Max knew that Chloe was genuine. She had wanted to help but Max wouldn't let her do it this way.

"No. You can't do this to yourself. We have to do it together...equally. You have to promise me you won't let the rewinds take more from you than they do from me. I won't use you as a battery."

Chloe was reluctant but finally she conceded. "I promise."

"Good." The brunette scanned her up and down. "Now I'm going to have to check and make sure you aren't missing anything." Max said sliding her hand across Chloe's stomach to her side. The taller girl giggled as Max squeezed her hip and slid her hand up her side underneath her coat. The warmth greeted the brunettes hand as the layer of leather had held the heat beneath. Max caressed the side of Chloe's breast through the fabric of her tank top and bra.

"Is this standard officer?" Chloe said through a smile.

"Space time inspections are very thorough." Max answered matter-of-factly.

Chloe 'hmmmed' softly at Max's touch as she explored, savoring how she felt. Max finished the inspection and rested her head against the punk's shoulder satisfied everything was accounted for.

Winfield was another town on the coast but Max had never visited. She hadn't needed to go through it even on her way to or from Seattle. Chloe had mentioned she knew where the park was because William use to have family in Winfield.

"Dad's brother, Aaron, lived there but he moved away after the accident. Last time I saw him was at the funeral. I think it hit him hard. Dad was the only family he had left and then he got some job in Salt Lake City. We went to Rinow park once. It's on the outskirts though and past that nothing but woods. I remember complaining to Dad that I wanted to see the beach instead."

"I remember Aaron from one of the other timelines. In the one William was alive in, Aaron sent some money to help him take care of you after you were put in the wheelchair. He seemed nice."

They had reached the town but Max was reading off the directions to the park that she had looked up on her phone. Winter had come early to Winfield as well. It worried Max. She didn't know if it had followed her or if the radius of the spirit's domain was larger than she had imagined. They passed snow covered lawns and homes. A small layer of frost had settled on most surfaces. Chloe pulled the truck up in an empty space near a sidewalk, next to the park's entrance.

She turned the truck off, "We're here Super Max."

Max checked the time on her phone, "15 minutes until three. Let's find a nice central location to sit."

They got out of the truck both slipping out of the drivers side. They held hands walking into the park and Chloe scoped out a seat for them. "How about that bench?" Max nodded and they took a seat near the middle of the park. From here they could be seen from just about any angle of the park. They could also see anyone approaching from any entrance as well.

"Your beanie." Max said.

"Oh yeah." Chloe smirked and took her beanie off holding it in her hands. "I never knew my hair would one day be used as a beacon to meet strangers."

The couple kept an eye out for Joseph. Chloe scanned the park. Her eyes were drawn to two little girls swinging. She watched as a curly black haired girl pushed her blonde friend at the bottom of each swing. Chloe held a finger up directing Max's attention to them.

"Remember when we first met? You would sit by yourself at recess and watch other people swing. We had those…"

"Swing hogs you called them." Max smiled as she reminded her.

Chloe grinned. "You wanted to swing but these boys kept hogging it like everyday. They didn't want to play on anything else. They were practicing jumping out of the seat to see how high they could go." The taller girl leaned in closer to her. A hand brushed a lock of brown hair away as it drifted against her cheek. Chloe's thumb ran along underneath her eye. "You were so cute. Your long hair down to your shoulders. Those freckles that I love so much."

Max blushed and she pressed her hot cheek into Chloe's warm hand. She smiled, "You asked me if I wanted to swing and I said yes. You made them get off and you almost had to beat one of them up for it."

Max moved closer and Chloe kissed her. The punk grinned, "They got off it though, huh?"

Max giggled and clutched at Chloe's coat pulling her even closer. She pressed their lips together. They were warm and inviting especially against the cold backdrop of the park.

"Uh, actually we did swing but only for five minutes until the boys you threatened told on us. Then you got us both banned from the swings."

Chloe rolled her eyes feigning offense. "Well I can't do everything."

Max's smile faded, her eyes piercing back deeply into the eyes of the hidden girl, "You did though. You said you had a swing at your house that no swing hog would ever get to. I could come to your house and use it with you. You've always looked out for me." If the temperature was freezing Chloe didn't notice as Max's sincerity melted her from within.

Chloe kissed her and traced her thumb along the brunette's freckles. She looked back to the girls playing on the swing but something else caught her eye. She almost missed him. The worn red flannel coat and blue jeans could dissolve into the background of a place like this but it was his unique features that gave him away. He had to be in his mid forties. His brown eyes were set deep above a prominent nose that was carved like wood. His high cheekbones drew Chloe's eyes back to a mane of black hair that was pulled back and was resting on his shoulders. Joseph hadn't seen them yet, but he was walking closer scanning the picnic tables on the far side of the park.

Chloe pointed him out to Max, "That has to be Joseph." The two girls stood up and started walking towards him. Joseph caught the sight of Chloe's blue hair and his eyes followed down to Max by her side. His eyes widened in terror and he stopped. Max and Chloe stopped too. Max looked behind herself to see if some monster was there but there was nothing but the empty bench.

"The hell…" Chloe began. Max turned back and she could see Joseph hurrying away. He was headed back to the street, to his car.

"No…" Max said under her breath. Then it became a demand, "Stop!" Her words echoed as if they were coming down a long tunnel. The world obeyed. It stopped. "...stop." Max repeated softer as time grinded to a halt. Joseph turned around. He gazed around in quiet reverence at the world shuddering from the present moment to the next unable to move forward at Max's command. His eyes fell on the two girls, the only figures in this still image painting of the park that weren't blurred between time. Both of them had a scarlet stain underneath their noses. He walked towards them, to the small brunette that stood waiting for him. As he stood before them, Max released her grasp on the ethereal tape of time and allowed it to pass unfettered.

Chloe pulled some tissues out of her coat pocket and cleaned Max's nose and her own. Joseph put his hands on both of Max's shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "You really are the Dagwiig."

"Alright, hands off wig man." Chloe said as she started to pull Joseph away but Max stopped her.

"No, Chloe it's okay. What is that?"

Joseph stepped away, his hands seeking protection from the elements in his flannel coat pockets. "Dagwiig. The shaman spirit. It is within you. At first I saw the raven, his presence was surrounding you. It was not him, but your contact with him recently. When you connected to your true spirit to perform what you just did I saw it. The doe."

"You can see that?" Max asked.

Joseph nodded, "It is a special ability that I have taken many years to hone."

"You used it on Sean. That's why we are here. The raven's got out of hand and we need to put him down." Chloe said propping her hands on her hips.

Joseph's brow knitted together in confusion, "You can not just 'put down' spirits. Sean must have it removed from him, from a proper shaman like the old times. It does not belong to a mortal man and it is using him."

"So...how do we do that?" Max said.

Joseph looked around the park, "I have studied the rituals and I can teach you and help you but it will require time. You are also not wearing a kan jagáa. That's why you are getting the nosebleeds."

"A what?" Chloe said.

Joseph sighed ignoring her question, "Where are you two staying?"

"Uh...no where right now." Max answered him.

His face fell and he crossed his arms in thought. He eyed both girls up and down taking stock of them. "You may stay with me as my guest while we figure all of this out. Would that arrangement be acceptable?"

Chloe stepped forward, "Uh, stay with you? We just met you buddy."

Max turned to her, "But he could teach me. Where else would I get this information?"

"I understand if you are skeptical but know that it goes both ways. I do not let strangers stay at my home but this is a unique case and I would be doing a great disservice to the spirits by not aiding you. I have a responsibility…" He paused and grimaced, "And I failed the first time I approached Sean to solve this problem."

Chloe grinded the heel of her boot against the pavement before sighing, "Alright. I'm okay with it. But if you try anything funny then Max will rewind you back to diapers."

For the first time Joseph smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes creasing, and he let out a chuckle.

"I understand."

"But I didn't let you into the time stop before. How were you not affected?" Max asked. Chloe looked between her and Joseph alarmed at the notion that Max's powers wouldn't work on him.

Joseph lowered the collar of his t-shirt with his hand to reveal an ivory carving of a bear. It's face solemn and it's deep set eyes held untold wisdom. Max looked up from it to Joseph's face that mirrored it. Tied to the bottom of it were small animal teeth anchored by leather cords.

"Protection trinket. My spirit protects me as does your doe protect you. Don't worry…" He looked back at Chloe and gave her a good natured smile. "I have no interest in going through toilet training again."

"Good. Well we should get out of here. I can follow you in my truck back to your place." Chloe offered.

Joseph agreed and headed back toward his car. Chloe took Max's hand in her own and led her back to the truck.

"Are you sure about this Mad Max? If you aren't just tell me, and we can be on our way back to Arcadia and you can stay at my house."

"I'm okay sweetie." Max squeezed her hand, "I have a good feeling about him. Besides...he's my only lead to doing what I need to do."

* * *

"Maaaaaaaaax, he's leading us into the woods. He's like some kind of ax murderer and we're following him back to his lair." Chloe whined as she followed closely to the old blue sedan in front of them.

Max giggled, "You are so paranoid."

Chloe glanced down at the brunette sitting by her side. "It's my job to keep you safe."

"Ooohhh. It's just a job to you huh?" She accused.

The taller girl planted a kiss in Max's hair, "No. Sometimes I do go above and beyond the call of duty." She gave the brunette a waggle of her eyebrows.

Chloe followed Josephs car into an open yard as he pulled up near the porch to his house. She had been right, they had left winfield and drove into the woods. Max thought she had seen a pond behind the house in the distance as they were driving up the road. They had passed a few houses on the way but the nearest neighbor was a mile or two off. The surrounding land was open and grassy with most of the deeper forest being behind Joseph's house. The driveway had a road that led around the house and through a path that had been cut through the trees. Max assumed it led to the pond she had seen.

Chloe parked beside the sedan and both of the girls got out. Joseph was standing on the porch waiting for them. He opened the door for them and they entered Chloe going first but to her surprise it didn't hold the decor of an ax murderer. There were no bodies tied up on the walls or body parts laying about on the floor. Instead pictures were hung up and placed on tables of Joseph's family. Haida tools and relics were placed on display and Max could tell that some of them were new, perhaps crafted by Joseph himself. It had an old fashioned homey feel to it like how Max felt when she visited her grandmother.

"Welcome to my home. The guest room is downstairs in the back. It use to be my son's but he's moved out and is on his own now. You're welcome to look around but I would like to sit down and we can discuss what you know already and what you have seen. You must have been through a lot even with your gift to have sought me out for help."

Max nodded and Chloe gestured back to her truck. "I'm going to get our bags real quick and we can put them in the room."

The screen door creaked snapping back against the frame as Chloe left. Max turned back to Joseph as they stood in the foyer. Stairs led from here to a second story and the living room was adjacent to the room they were in. A tv was playing low and she could catch the report about the unnatural weather being discussed.

Max placed a hand on Joseph's arm. "I really wanted to thank you for…" She trailed off as her surroundings disappeared into shadows. They had an unnatural life of their own as they swirled and twisted creating recognizable shapes. Finally, the picture they were attempting to paint became clear and Max could see herself standing in the same spot but Joseph stood rooted on the bottom stair. She followed his stare to a younger man behind her. Clutched in his hand was a bag, not unlike what Chloe was now going outside to bring in.

"You can't leave. You have a responsibility."

The young man spun around, his back to the door, "It's no one's responsibility. It's not yours and it's not mine. If you want to preserve our culture then do it" He opened his arms indicating everything around him, "but I don't believe in this shit and if you want to sit around here all day carving up wood and praying to some bear then that's on you. I'm not having this fight again Dad. Goodbye."

The vision of the past cleared and Joseph was standing in front of her with a look of concern.

"Are you okay? What did you see?"

Max jerked her hand away. "I...saw your son. When he left."

Joseph's head lowered and he was silent as he ran a few fingers through his thick black hair. She could see her words had opened an old wound that hadn't healed. The man that she had saw demand that his son stay was not this man. Time and something else had worn him down.

"I'm sorry." Max added. She was unsure of what to do with such a private moment. She hadn't learned to turn this new power on or off but she was used to being the observer. No matter whether it was through a camera lense or through the shadowy memories of someone's past. Always watching.

Chloe stumbled in with all of their bags and Max went over to help her. They carried the bags through the living room and down a hall that had a bathroom and bedroom attached to it. The bedroom was stripped bare. On its walls hung nothing and it's dresser drawers displayed no family pictures. The bed would be large enough for them to sleep comfortably. It was about as big as Chloe's bed back at her house. Two windows on the far wall showed a beautiful view of the forest behind the house and a glimpse of the pond.

"Everything good?" Chloe asked as soon as they had dropped the bags on the bed.

"All limbs intact." Max said shooting her a smile. She loved the feeling of Chloe taking care of her. She wrapped her arms around the taller girl and squeezed her in a hug. The punk whispered in her ear as she hugged her back, "1,2,3,4...yep all there." Max giggled.

They left the room and joined Joseph who was now sitting in the living room on the couch. Across from him the tv was on, a reporter was waving her arm around showing off the snow that continued to land in Arcadia. The title underneath her reading 'Arcadia Bay's Early Winter.'

Max took a seat in a chair and Chloe sat on the armchair of it next to her. Joseph clicked the tv off with the remote and sat back.

"Alright, tell me everything."


	12. Time, For the Moments That Matter

It took them several hours to explain everything to Joseph. He asked a lot more questions than David did but it was because he knew what he was looking for. Max had lived everything she was telling him but it didn't seem real when she said it all out loud. It sounded like a bad dream that she had one night and it had everyone in it like Chloe and her friends, and the people she didn't like were villains. Joseph had just sat back and listened intently. At some parts he would show amazement but never disbelief. At the part about Rachel he offered his sympathies to Chloe. The more of the story Max explained, the stronger the feeling grew, that this all made sense to Joseph. That he had always known something like this could be possible and this was just the first time he was having it confirmed to him.

Chloe had taken their coats and hung them up near the door. The house was warm and it acted as a shelter against the cold that lingered just outside waiting for them to leave. But they didn't as they continued to talk until it began to get dark. Chloe had gotten sore from sitting on the armchair and decided to slip into Max's lap where it would be more comfortable. Max had always liked that Chloe could seem at home anywhere but she didn't know how Joseph would feel about it. She knew Chloe had her reasons, she always needed to play these games. Chloe wanted attention but she was always testing people to see how they would react, like who they really were underneath their masks. She was testing Joseph now and she wouldn't stop until she knew she could really trust him. He just smiled and let Max continue. So she did and she couldn't help but smile to herself feeling Chloe's cute butt pressed against her leg as she talked.

When she finished, Joseph raised his hand to his mouth in thought before speaking. "In all of my studies, and in the stories I know, I've never heard or seen any shaman with the prowess you possess Max. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes."

Chloe grinned and gave Max's leg a squeeze, "That's because Max is a badass."

Joseph chuckled and nodded his head in agreement, "You're very brave Max, and wise to seek help."

Chloe leaned forward in anticipation and blurted, "So you can help us right?" Max put her hand on the small of Chloe's back supporting both her and herself for the answer.

"Yes, but as I mentioned before, this will take some time, but I'm sure she will pick it up quickly. We can start tomorrow." Joseph answered.

Chloe wiggled in Max's lap with excitement and Max smiled. "Thank you Joseph, we really appreciate all of this."

"So it's getting late. How about dinner? Are you two hungry? I haven't had the chance to cook for anyone else in awhile." He said.

"Dude, I'm freaking starving. Food would be awesome!" Chloe said. Max agreed too. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until now. There was a large gap between now and her breakfast. They had skipped lunch. A tinge of sadness tugged at Max as Joseph jumped up, eager to be a good host. He had brightened up ever since they had started talking and she had assumed it was because she was telling a good story but now she realized it might have been something else. How long ago did that memory she witness happen? How long had he been here alone?

"I was planning on making meatloaf. Please make yourselves comfortable. It shouldn't take me very long." Joseph left and headed towards the foyer. The kitchen was on the other side of the house through a dining room.

Chloe stood up stretching and Max seized the opportunity to get a handful of her butt and squeeze. "Dude, you made my leg fall asleep." Max added as Chloe shook her behind at her. Max watched it wiggle in front of her and decided the tingling leg was worth it.

Chloe fell down on the couch and grabbed the remote turning on the tv and flipping through the channels mindlessly. Max hobbled over on her good leg and shook her asleep one before sitting next to the punk.

"So what do you think? Joseph seems like a good guy." Max said.

"Uh huh. Well I haven't seen any axes yet, so that's a good sign so far." Chloe snarked.

Max thought about telling Chloe what she had seen in Joseph's past but she decided against it. It was a private moment and it wasn't her place to tell anyone unless he said something first. Max snuggled into the taller girl's side and they watched cartoons until Joseph came back and told them that dinner was ready. Max was impressed when her and Chloe walked through the foyer and into the dining room to see everything set. He had put her and Chloe together while he sat at the head. A large dish of meatloaf sat in the center of the table with a bowl of salad.

Chloe rubbed her hands together, "Man, this smells amazing. It's like when mom cooks it. I mean when she used to."

Joseph smiled and sat down and the two girls joined him. Before digging in, he bowed his head and placed a hand over his shirt where the necklace he wore lay underneath. He prayed silently to himself and then looked up.

"Please enjoy. This was my son Daniel's favorite meal."

They both made themselves a plate and when Max took her first bite she could hardly believe someone could get meatloaf to taste this amazing. She knew that it wasn't just how hungry she was either. Chloe agreed by making an assortment of satisfied noises that included 'mmmmm'. Max forced herself to slow down so she could ask some questions and she didn't want to seem greedy.

"So I had some questions for you. I mean, I have like a million to ask you, but there was a few that I've been wondering about." Max said.

"Of course. It's not everyday that a living breathing example of your life's work walks in the door. It's the least I can do to answer some of your questions."

Max hadn't thought about it in that way but he was right. "So you said I was getting nosebleeds because I wasn't wearing something. A kan jagáa? What exactly is that?"

Chloe snorted and said between bites, "Please say headdress. Max would look hella cute wearing a doe mask."

Max's face dropping into a flustered look only made Chloe giggle as she said, "Better not be a headdress."

Joseph laughed too. He waved his hand in assurance, "No no it's nothing like that. Kan jagáa means bone-charm necklace. It's something a shaman wears."

"What does it do?" Max asked before wrangling up a few bites of salad with her fork.

"Well, you're getting those nosebleeds because when you connect to your doe spirit you're using your own body as a conduit." He gestured toward Chloe, "Or whoever else is willing to join you. But that puts a strain on your body and a nosebleed is a sign of that pressure."

"So what's the necklace do?" Chloe asked.

Joseph made a funnel shape with his hands, "When you wear a kan jagáa, it acts as the conduit. There is a less of a strain because the connection is clear. I was looking forward to helping you make one tomorrow. I haven't got the chance to make one in awhile."

"Awesome. Will that make super Max even more super?"

"No but I can show her something that will. We have to practice it though." Joseph said eating a bite of meatloaf.

"Something that will make me even more powerful?" Max asked as if the thought of her being able to do anything else seemed absurd. What could be more powerful than controlling time?

Joseph nodded, "Yes, when you use your gift you've been rewinding everything or stopping everything. But that takes a lot of energy to do and it's not necessary and sometimes it's even detrimental to what you're trying to accomplish. I'm going to show you how to rewind or stop very specific things. A targeted rewind if you will."

"Whoa." Chloe said putting down her fork. "You mean Max will be able to localise the rewind to like one person? Or like a tree or a car or something?"

Max listened intently for the answer. Joseph nodded his head. "Yes, it takes concentration but the shamans of the old did this. They couldn't control such massive amounts of time as Max but they would rewind disease in people or injuries. One of the most powerful shamans, Dyami, was said to be so skilled he could move time forward."

"That's so cool." Max said. "Why haven't I heard of anything like this before?"

Joseph smiled as if expecting such a question, "My people have a story about a giant raven spirit who stole a man's light and used it as the sun to begin the universe. The stories I know may have been shared but there are few who believe in them. A shaman is a man who healed people and drove out evil spirits. Does it matter that he did it by manipulating what we would consider time now?"

Chloe waved her fork in Joseph's direction, "Got a point with that I guess."

"I had another question." Max said.

"Shoot."

"What do you know about Sean?"

Joseph took a moment to finish the last of his dinner and wipe his mouth before tackling the question. "I know, as much as it does not seem like it, Sean is a victim. He is not aware of it but the Raven is using him as much as he is using it. The raven isn't inherently a bad spirit but Sean has fed into its greedy appetite. In return the raven does what it did in the old times, it steals from others and gives to whomever it deems worthy. Sean's success and money is stolen gains that the raven has fetched for him. Eventually its appetite will be too much and it will consume him and his family."

"Yeah, well it already tried to kill us." Chloe complained.

"I'm not surprised. You set fire to its totem and then you attempt to impede the one person that is feeding him. It will do anything it can to defend itself and Sean."

Joseph sat with them until they finished their dinner and he took their plates for them. The sound of running water issued from the kitchen as Joseph cleaned the dishes. Chloe sat back in the dining chair and sighed rubbing her belly.

"I hate to say it but two whales ain't got jack or shit on this guy." Chloe said.

"No kidding. I didn't think meatloaf could be anyone's favorite until I tasted that."

Not knowing what else to do Chloe and Max stayed at the table until Joseph came out drying his hands on a towel. "Oh, you two didn't need to wait up for me. I'm actually going to call it a night. I have to be at work in the morning early at the center but once I get back we can start some of those lessons."

The two girls stood up. "Thanks for everything again Joseph. You've been great." Max said.

"And the dinner was bitchin'"

"Well I'm glad you liked it."

They all walked through to the foyer and stood at the bottom of the stairs.

"Goodnight Max. Goodnight Chloe. Sleep well you two."

"Goodnight Joseph." They both returned.

Joseph went upstairs and Max and Chloe made their way back through the living room and down the hall to their room. "I don't know about you but I'm exhausted." Chloe said as she flopped down on the bed. Max closed the door and turned to see the punk pulling her boots off. Max joined her and they both stripped down to a shirt and their underwear before crawling into bed. Max groped in the dark until she found something roughly Chloe shaped.

"You are really handsy today, I like it." Came a voice from the darkness. Max grinned but she knew the punk couldn't see it. Max came in closer and buried her face into the taller girl's chest. She loved the smell, it was familiar and comforting. Chloe's arms wrapped around her holding her tightly and she felt safe enough to let sleep finally take her.

* * *

No nightmares. Max's eyes fluttered open and she could see the daylight pour in through the half drawn curtains. She didn't have any nightmares. She raised her head up from the pillow and saw the spot where Chloe had been. She jolted up but settled down whenever she caught the sound of running water. The shower was on in the bathroom, Chloe must have woken up before her and decided to shower first. Max sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her eyes and then looked at the door that was cracked open. She sat staring at it a moment as she considered something. Joseph should have already left for work. She stood up and walked over to the door.

Peeking outside into the hallway she could hear the news playing on the tv. She went out into the hallway, the hardwood was cold against her bare feet. She put her hand on the bathroom door knob and twisted. It wasn't locked. Max looked around before putting her hand back on the knob and turning it all the way. She slipped inside. A layer of steam drifted above her head. The shower had a sliding glass door that blurred Chloe's figure within. She hadn't heard Max come in over the noise of the shower head. Max pulled her shirt over her head and wriggled out of her bottoms. She looked in the mirror but it was steamed over and she couldn't see anything. She just had to hope she looked good enough. Her hand hesitated over the handle but finally she pulled it open. Chloe spun around and her arm went up to cover her chest.

"The fuc-...Oh...Max." Max watched the weight of her breasts drop as Chloe stopped shielding them from her view, her arm falling back down to her side. A stream of water ran through Chloe's blue hair and rode the curves of her body down to the drain. Max's self consciousness fell away even at the sight of Chloe's eyes traveling along her own. A different instinct took over and drove her. She stepped inside the shower and Chloe backed away pressing up against the shower wall and the smaller girl closed the shower door. They were now alone in a cocoon of steam and hot water. Chloe's hand was hovering in the air, frozen, as if touching the brunette would shatter her into a million pieces along with this moment and all of it would circle down the drain. Finger by finger Max slowly took her hand interlocking their fingers and Chloe squeezed testing if it was real. Chloe deserved to feel safe with her. Here stood the girl that had gone through everything with her and would give anything for her. The punk's mouth was open but she didn't know what to say. She waited for the brunette's next move, her lip quivering in anticipation. Max kissed her and then again harder. She wanted to show Chloe that she wasn't delicate, that she wouldn't break easily, that this moment was theirs.

Their bodies melded and Max pressed her breasts against Chloe's. It pushed the punk against the shower wall. The water slid over them both and it felt as hot as they did. Chloe kissed her back and tugged at the back of her dripping hair. She pushed her hips into Max's as she moaned. She wanted more. She got her wish as she felt Max's fingers slide down her stomach and between her legs. She wrapped her arms around Max and held onto her for support as soon as she felt the brunette's digits penetrate her.

"Oh...my god." She whimpered. The times she had touched herself or had been touched by another felt like nothing but mere fumblings as Max explored. She rocked her hips to the motion of Max's fingers as they began to thrust delving deep inside her. Feeling the brunettes lips tug at her nipple drove her wild as she felt the pressure start to build up inside her begging to be released.

"Right there….there." She repeated over and over and with each iteration the wave swelled bigger and bigger until she couldn't hold it back anymore. A loud moan escaped her lips. Pleasure cascaded forth and it shot out waves that shook her body. It threatened to buckle her knees but Max held her and let her ride the wave until she could stand on her own with her legs quivering. The feeling was powerful, it made her giggle in delight. All she could think of was this moment and how Max made her feel.

Nothing was more important than sharing this feeling with Max. The brunette was planting soft kisses along her neck that made her shiver. Max stood back and twirled around under the shower head letting the water hit every part of her. Chloe stood behind her pressing her breasts against her back and let her hands travel across the brunettes bare skin.

"Lean forward. Bend over." Chloe said low into her ear. Max did as she instructed. Her self consciousness surfaced, she felt exposed like this and she couldn't see Chloe's face to judge what she was thinking. Chloe didn't use her fingers. The moment Max felt something hot and wet slide against her button her thoughts scrambled into an incoherent mess. She gripped the wall in front of her and sucked in a breath. She felt the suction of Chloe's lips against her sensitive flesh and a moan escaped from deep within her. She heaved audible heavy breaths as Chloe's tongue flicked and sent her into a state she had never reached before. Her knees bent forward and she offered more of herself further to Chloe. She was vulnerable but it only made her feel more intimate as she surrendered all control. The taller girl's tongue and lips worked against her as she felt fingers sink inside her. Max couldn't hold herself back anymore as Chloe pleasured her from all angles.

She braced the wall and let out a scream as she felt herself open like a flower and bloom. It felt like she was a light bulb shining as bright as she could on the brink of busting before the feeling slowly winded down. Chloe held her from behind and let the feeling coarse through her until the brunette turned around in her arms. They kissed and giggled in each other's arms. Chloe glowed as she smiled at her. She could stand here forever staring into those blue eyes.

"Oh, Good morning Chloe." Max said smiling back.

Chloe laughed, "Good morning Max attack."

"We should actually get clean now huh?" Max asked

"I suppose, since we're already here and all." Chloe shot her a wry smile.

Chloe had brought both hers and Max's shower kit in already. Chloe reached for her bottle of shampoo and started to lather her hair. To her surprise she felt Max's fingers take over for her own. She smiled and grabbed Max's bottle to do the same for her. Chloe couldn't help but close her eyes as Max's hands glided across her body leaving soap where they touched. Chloe faced Max and they locked eyes as the taller girl bathed her with soap. The moment was rare but Chloe felt she didn't have to say anything at all as they watched each other. Chloe could just be herself here and that's all Max wanted from her. After they were done getting clean they stepped out of the shower together.

Max watched as Chloe brought a towel over to her. It felt comforting with Chloe's attentive hands underneath the fabric rubbing every part of her dry. Max wanted to return the favor. She loved the silly poses Chloe made as she dried her off and she took the opportunity to squeeze her favorite parts when she got to them. The couple returned to their room and started to get dressed with Chloe smacking Max's butt before she had a chance to get into underwear.

"I know things have been tough lately but ever since you've been back Max, everything's been like a dream. You promise I won't wake up alone in my shitty room with my mom yelling at me 'wakey wakey eggs and bakey?'"

Max slid her shirt on and turned to Chloe, who was behind her, sitting clothed on the edge of the bed. The punk had phrased it like a joke but seeing her face turned down to the floor made Max's heart sink. She sat down beside the taller girl and she could see a tear stream down her cheek. It reminded Max of the memory she saw in Chloe's past. Her huddled alone and abandoned. That one word text echoing in a chamber of despair.

 _Max._

Chloe's voice broke, "What if I fuck this up?" She shook her head, "I'm going to drive you away, just like I did with Rachel." Max wrapped her in a hug and the punk leaned into her pressing her face into the smaller girl's shoulder. "But I can't lose this. I've never had anything like this." The fear in Chloe's eyes tore a hole through Max, as she saw the punk desperately clutching onto this moment to lock it away. The world would find a way to take this from her. Chloe didn't believe that she would ever get another.

The brunette ran her fingers through her blue hair consoling her. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll always be with you, in any and every timeline."

Chloe peeked up at her, "Promise?" Max could see the hidden girl beneath the orbs of blue. She was just below the surface of the waves with her hand outstretched for help. Max couldn't let her drown.

Max pressed her lips against Chloe's forehead and whispered, "I promise."


	13. Echos of Time

"I'm sorry about before. I just feel hella stupid for thinking that way but…" Chloe didn't feel like it was worth finishing. She propped herself with her elbows against the kitchen counter watching Max wash their dishes. They had eaten the leftovers from last night as breakfast. Joseph had even taken the time to leave them a note about it stuck to the fridge and inside were two servings that were labeled their names. Max turned the faucet off. Chloe's eyes shone like portals to the past and Max could see Chloe alone and crying on her bed. Her voice wordlessly calling out to her, it echoed in the tunnel of time that connected that moment and the present. A gap of time was all that seperated that lonely plea in the darkness.

 _Max._

"I understand Chlo. There's nothing to worry about." Max walked over to her and rubbed her hands against the taller girl's sides drying her hands on Chloe's tank top. The punk looked down at Max's small hand prints imprinted on her shirt.

"Dude." But she was already smiling.

Max giggled. "There it is. Now listen. Chloe Price is my girlfriend. Joseph is teaching me how to be a time lord master and we are safe out here in the middle of the woods. Everything is hella awesome."

The brunette stood on her tiptoes and pushed against Chloe's lips that were already rushing to meet hers. Max tugged at the punk's hand.

"Now cmon' relax and take a walk with me. It's so beautiful here, let's walk down to the pond."

"Oh, alright but we have to talk about this Price girl. You didn't tell me you already had a girlfriend."

The rays of the sun greeted them beaming proudly after winning the battle against the threat of early winter in Winfield. The news reported this morning that Arcadia had lost, it still remained under the barrage of snow. Max saw it as a sign that the spirits had acknowledged that she was on the right path but were waiting, watching for more.. A stretch of trees stood tall between them on that path now to the pond.

"What do you think about learning the stuff from Joseph?" Chloe asked as she trudged through the leaves beside the brunette.

 _I hope I don't have to dance and shake rattles_

Instead she answered, "I hope I can actually do what he's talking about. What if I can't do the targeted rewind like the other shamans could?"

"Why wouldn't you?"

Max shrugged and averted her gaze, "I dunno'."

"Max, you're amazing. You're way more powerful than any of the other shaman's were, even Joseph said that. You'll pick this up too."

"Yeah...I gues-" The sound of a gunshot struck through the air. But it was different. It felt like another echo of time but this one was different, Max could actually hear it. Instinctively she wanted to turn to the direction of the sound but there wasn't one, so instead she came to a complete stop. Chloe, who was holding her hand, was snapped back as if on a tether.

"What?"

"I heard a gunshot."

"I didn't hear anything." Chloe said peering around the trees for the hidden marksman. A large tree loomed over them. It's base was wide but a hole had been hollowed out in it's center. "I mean we are out in the woods. It's probably a neighbor or something firing a gun off in his backyard."

"Or maybe I'm finally losing my mind." She placed her hand on her opposite arm, "You...sure you didn't hear anything?"

Chloe shook her head, "It's nothing, let's keep going."

The pond's waters laid completely still as they reached the edge.

Max released a breath of reverence. "It looks like a sheet of glass. It's perfect."

Chloe leaned down and scooped a rock up. A mischievous smile played across her lips, "You wanna break the mirror?"

"I don't know how."

The taller girl's mouth fell open, "You don't know how to skip rocks?"

Max stuffed her hands into her pockets and shook her head making her bushy brown hair bounce from side to side.

"Oh no. Joseph is going to have to wait. I have to teach you how to skip rocks before he can teach you how to bend time. This is more important." She pulled one of Max's hands out of her pocket and put the rock in it. She picked up another stone and approached the water's edge looking back to make sure her student was attentive.

"Ok so you want to kind of hold it like this with your thumb on top and like your middle finger here. Then I wrap my pointer finger here." Chloe gestured to the posture her hand was in indicating each step.

Max laughed, "Oh my god. Do you really have this down to a science?" But she copied Chloe's hand position.

"Hey." Chloe tried to appear dead serious but she couldn't disguise the hint of a smile tugging at her cheeks. "Skipping stones is a honored tradition of high school dropouts. It represents our futile struggle to find meaning in a world that doesn't have meaning."

Max did her best impression of the 'not bad' face and nodded a mock understanding.

"Deep."

"Watch and learn young Max hopper." Chloe leaned down at an angle before she launched the stone. For a moment it almost looked like the water was truly made of glass the way the stone bounced perfectly off of its surface.

"That was actually pretty good."

"Now you try."

Max stood beside Chloe and leaned down just as she had watched her do. She let the rock fly but it vanished into the mirror sinking into another reality to be lost forever. Chloe picked out another stone and handed it to her.

"I saw you throw it pretty hard. But it isn't about strength, it's about precision. You have to be quick. Try throwing it faster not harder."

Max leaned down and held the stone the way Chloe had shown her. She drew back and shot the rock out across the pond. It skipped twice before the mirror swallowed it.

"That was much better." Chloe said as she planted a kiss on the brunettes cheek.

"I have a great teacher." Max said making a show of fluttering her eyelashes.

"You trying to be teachers pet?"

"Does that mean I get to stay after class?" Max grinned

Chloe held up both her hands to her chest feigning shock, "Miss Caulfield are you trying to be inappropriate?"

"More than trying." The syllables at the end of Max's sentence were lost in Chloe's lips as she pressed forward into the punk kissing her. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she pulled away taking it out.

"Who is it?" Chloe asked and partly grumbled.

"Kate. Gimme a sec." Max answered the call. Chloe turned away and plucked another rock up from the ground. She skipped the stone across the surface of the pond as Max talked behind her. It made her smile seeing the rock bounce. Doing things like this always felt so much better when you did it with other people. With Max it was something she could share. The forest was silent, unnaturally so. There wasn't any signs of animal life, like she was the only one out here. Max's chatter faded away in the back of her mind and suddenly everything was remote to her. Chloe's smile faded. She stared into the endless beyond with trees that stretched for miles. The vacancy wasn't out there somewhere it was within herself.

She felt a delicate touch as light as a feather press against her side as if she was a piece of china to be held with care. And it was gone. The moment passed as quickly as it had arrived.

"Chloe? You okay?" Max asked from behind her.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Kate called to thank me. David busted Jefferson right in class. She didn't know that he had anything to do with it."

"And Nathan?" Chloe's hands balled into a fist. The skin she had removed beating Nathan with one of them had scabbed over.

Max walked around to stand in front of her. Chloe's hands unclenched and found a better position wrapped around the small brunette. Max looked up at her.

"They haven't found him yet. I think Sean must have warned him. He's hiding out somewhere."

"That's such bullshit. He can't hide forever. Not from us either."

Max didn't answer but instead nestled into the taller girl's embrace. In the distance they could hear the sound of a truck pull into the driveway.

"Maybe Joseph is back already. We should see." Max said.

She watched as Chloe took one more long gaze across the pond before joining her on the walk back.

"Thanks for showing me how to throw rocks like a pro." Max beamed at her with pride over her small stone skipping achievement.

The darkness in Chloe's eyes shrunk away as she smiled, "Anytime sweetheart."

* * *

"Are you starting up a dodgeball team? Because I can own in Dodgeball." Chloe asked as Joseph pulled a netted bag of red balls out of the back seat of his car.

"I hate dodgeball. I always hid behind Chloe." Max muttered.

"I'll protect you." Chloe grinned and puffed out her chest.

Joseph laughed, "No not dodgeball and you can't protect Max this time. This is for her training. We will use them for the targeted rewinds." He waved his hand and motioned for them to follow as he went around to the back of the house. "So how was breakfast? Your morning go fine?"

The girls walked beside him and Max smiled. "Yeah it was great and Chloe showed me how to skip rocks on the pond. The land you have out here is so beautiful."

Joseph nodded, "It is very quiet too. I used to take my son out fishing there. When he was younger, all of this used to be his playground. I haven't had the chance to share it with anyone else in a long time."

Chloe stole a glance at Max at that and by her expression it seemed that she was starting to understand what Max was suspecting about Joseph. He sat the bag down and took in a deep breath letting it out slowly then something occurred to him.

"Oh, Chloe. You should park your truck around back near the pond. No offense but it is a very memorable vehicle. I'm sure that Sean is still trying to find you two." He said.

"Sure. I'll be right back." She took her keys out and left.

Joseph turned his attention to Max, "Cmon', let's pick out the materials for your kan jagáa before we get started." He led her back through the house and to the bottom of the stairs. "I do all my work upstairs. I should have everything we need already made." Max followed him up the stairs and they took the first door on the left.

"Wowsers." Max remarked as this room looked more like a workshop. Haida artifacts like the ones at the museum were placed for display on the walls and in glass cases. Masks that imitated different animals were hung from the walls. In the center of the room was a table and chair setup where a project that hadn't been finished lay. It made her wonder if Sean had a room like this. It was difficult not to see Joseph as an opposite reflection of what Sean was. The same methods were involved but the two men had different ideas on what needed to be done.

Joseph put his hands on hips and grinned, "So what do you think?"

"It's amazing. Are all of these one's you've done?"

"Mmhmm. My father taught me and I've been at it ever since I was a boy. Of course, my craftsmanship has gotten a lot better." He chuckled. Joseph walked over to a drawer and pulled the top one open. Max walked over to him and peeked inside. He sorted through carved pendants all made of Ivory. A different animal was inscribed on each surface. "I didn't know what my son's spirit animal might be. So I started making as many as I could think of so that when the time came I would already have it. Ah the deer. Here it is."

He handed the pendant to Max and she turned it over with her fingers inspecting it to see if she could see if it held some hidden power. She squeezed it into her palm and watched as Joseph walked across the room to another rack that held leather strings. "What was his animal?"

"A horse." He said selecting one long piece and many shorter tethers. It wasn't fair, thought Max. Hadn't Joseph done everything that was expected of him? Why did Sean get to have a relationship with his son while abusing the spirits and Joseph, who had done right, not? She knew, as she placed the pendant on the work table, that Joseph or Daniel should have been the one in her place. Joseph sat down. "I'll anchor these leather strips to it." He pointed towards a box that sat on a stand next to the window. "Your kan jagáa must have charms that represent what you need it for. You'll find them in there."

Max walked over to it and edged the lid up slowly peering inside with curiosity. An assortment of bone and teeth and all types of things that Max could hardly recognize were stored within.

"Bring me a Raven's talon, the twig that is hollowed out, and there should be a small glass pendant with a dried butterfly wing inside." Joseph instructed. Max dug around until she found the requested items. She brought it over to him and placed them in front of him. Joseph's hands worked adeptly to combine everything together. The instinct of having done this hundreds of times took over, his fingers moved in micro calculated positions as he assembled each piece. When he finished, he stood up and Max ducked her head for him to place it around her neck. He stepped back to appreciate his handiwork. Max didn't notice a sudden spike of power but Joseph seemed satisfied.

"Perfect." He said.

"It's really cool. I was worried it would look…" She fiddled with the raven talon charm between her thumb and forefinger.

"Weird?" Joseph smirked knowingly.

"Yeah...kind of. But it looks awesome Joseph. Thank you."

"Let's test it out."

Chloe was waiting outside for them as they returned to the backyard. Her eyes lit up with childish awe and she dashed over to the brunette inspecting her new necklace as if it was a new toy. "Whoa. Totes amazing. What's the first lesson?" She turned to Joseph.

"First is the targeted rewind." He opened the bag of red balls and pulled one of them out. Max ducked behind Chloe but she didn't seem to notice.

"Alright Max, sit down there. Cross legged. My father always said you're the strongest when your rooted firmly to the earth. It's stable, it's what you know. And we are going to start with that."

Max edged out from behind Chloe and sat down in the grass where Joseph had pointed to. He took out a pocket knife and poked a hole in one of the balls. Max hadn't thought they were inflated but the whistle of air leaving the ball flat said otherwise. She turned her head to see Chloe giving them space. Max was surprised to see Chloe taking this so seriously. Joseph sat down in front of Max and placed the punctured ball between them.

"When you rewind, you told me all your possessions come with you and Chloe. They aren't affected by the rewind and I thought that was weird until I realized, you were already doing targeted rewinds." Max raised an eyebrow in confusion and he encouraged her with a smile. "You're doing them in reverse. You're rewinding everything BUT what you have on you. You're targeting your possessions as something that doesn't get changed. So, all we have to do is flip that."

Max nodded enthusiastically and smiled, "So I can already do it. How do we flip it?"

Joseph pointed to the ball, "Imagine that is a possession. You don't have it on you but imagine that it is yours. That you own it and you want to take it with you just as you take Chloe through a rewind."

Max furrowed her brow in concentration, "Ok." She raised her hand and the world started to blur around them. Chloe, herself, Joseph and now the shrunken ball remained clear and unaffected. She let it go and gasped. "Wowsers. I did it. That was kind of easy"

Joseph smiled and Chloe clapped from the sidelines. "Way to go Super Max."

"Now something more difficult. I want you to realize this selection process." His finger pointed to the ball and then circled indicating everything around them. "It's arbitrary. You control it. You decide what stays and what changes. It's not tied to your possessions. You now see that with the ball and with Chloe and with me. I want you to concentrate on just the ball and when you rewind, imagine that you are selecting only it to change and everything else to go along with you."

"I'll try." Max said as she lifted her hand towards the ball. When she activated her power this time the world did not respond. It did not turn backwards. She had commanded it not to. The air around the red ball wavered and warped but it did not want to obey her order.

"You can do it Max." Joseph reassured.

She pushed harder, whatever this barrier was, it held up against all of her energy. She couldn't break through it even if she was wearing ten kan jagáa's and a headdress. Max was about to release the rewind. She had failed. But she thought of Chloe.

 _It isn't about strength, it's about precision. You have to be quick._

She relaxed and ceased beating against a wall that wasn't there. The ball began to inflate with air that had been scattered to the wind in another timeline. The puncture hole sealed and she let the rewind go. The red ball bounced to the ground and away from them.

Joseph laughed and patted Max's knee, "I had faith in you. You couldn't have done better, and so quickly. Let's practice this for awhile on different objects. That way it will be as natural to you as your normal rewinds."

Chloe pounced on her from the side tossing them both on the ground and Max giggled looking up at her. She knew the punk couldn't hold her serious demeanor for long and here her goofball had returned.

"I told you." Chloe gloated before giving the brunette a kiss.

Joseph and Max spent most of the afternoon practicing targeted rewinds on just about everything. Max had suggested that she should practice on things that had practical benefit. She ended up rewinding most of Joseph's appliances back to the state that they were when he originally bought them. However, there were a few items that she offered to restore that he politely declined for nostalgic reasons. The two of them spent so much time practicing that Chloe had asked Joseph for a fishing pole so she could pass the time and not be in the way.

"I had a question for you." Max said as both of them stepped back outside. She could see in the distance, Chloe's truck was parked near some trees hidden from the road.

"Of course. What is it?"

Max's gaze lingered on the pond where Chloe was fishing in the distance. "If you can target specific things for rewinding. Can...can you bring someone back from the dead?"

"Rachel." Joseph said.

Max nodded.

He sighed and crossed his arms, "Max, you have to be very careful with that line of thinking. It is technically possible, but you should never attempt such a thing. It's unnatural. There is a cycle to these things that must be respected. If you bring someone back that has been dead in a timeline for a long time...all the things they should have done, all the people they should have interacted with and affected...if it never happened in that timeline." He shook his head, "A distortion that large in time could make the tornado that you saw look like child's play."

"So it's not feasible?" Max repeated.

"Not the way you want it to be. I'm sorry."

She knew she was jealous of Rachel but she let Chloe down before, she had to at least ask. And if Rachel could come back? Would Chloe still choose her?

"There is another thing. I want to learn how to do something, and I'm not sure if you know how." Max said.

"What would you like to know?"

"I told you I had a vision when I touched the Raven totem and I was able to talk to the spirits; to the old shaman before me. I want to talk to them again and I want to ask them for more time. I need more than two days to do this."

He put his hand up to his chin in thought. "It can be done but to invoke a vision like this, you're going to have to drink some pretty nasty stuff"

"Whatever it takes." Max said.

She waited for Joseph to make his concoction. She had almost decided to go down to the pond to check on Chloe so she could have an excuse to steal more kisses, when Joseph came back out with a cup. She peered down into it with apprehension as he passed it into her hands.

 _Drink up Buttercup_

"You should sit down and I'll sit with you to make sure nothing goes wrong."

Max sat down cross legged and sniffed at the cup. Her face twisted into disgust.

"Don't smell it, just chug it."

Max nodded and began to swallow the contents of the cup as fast as she could. It was thick like sludge and bitter. She forced the instinct to vomit down and closed her eyes waiting for it to take effect. After ten minutes of waiting in silence all she was left with was a raw mouth and a sour aftertaste.

"Does this stuff even work?" She said opening her eyes but she realized that she had said it to no one. She was standing alone in the same grove of the woods that she had before. The remaining totems were still in their places except the one she had burned down. A bear, doe, and wolf spirit revealed themselves from the brush. She got down on both of her knees and her gaze fell to the ground in front of her as she spoke.

"Spirits, I'm doing what you want. I am learning more about the powers you've given me and I promise I will use them to stop Sean and restore the balance. But I need more time. Please grant me more time to stop him."

She looked up in expectation of a response. Instead the old shaman now stood behind the spirits, a blue butterfly perched upon his shoulder.

"The path that you now walk will take you to the unbalance. We will grant you more time." He said.

Max bowed her head, "Thank you."

The spirits turned to return to the forest but stopped when Max spoke again.

"I have a question."

The old shaman looked displeased but answered again, "Ask."

Max stood up, "Why me? Joseph? Daniel. Either of them should have been the one to do this and I know it." She narrowed her eyes at the shaman, "Why did you take this from them?"

He frowned at her, "If you seek answers then we will show you."

The forest disappeared and was replaced by city streets. It was late and stores had closed leaving this place as quiet and unsettling as the forest had been moments ago. Gates to prevent theft were closed over the doors and windows of the shops. The streets were abandoned. An argument caught her attention and she made her way to the opening of an alley. Stepping into it she recognized Daniel as the person protesting. He looked older than he had in her first vision.

"That's everything I have. Please just let me live."

Wild eyes darted underneath the shadows of a dirty hoodie, "That isn't everything. That watch. Take it off."

Daniel shielded it with the palm of his hand, "Please, you can have everything but that. My father gave it to me. It's not even worth that much I promise."

The mugger wasn't buying it. He waved the gun barrel towards the watch, "Take it off asshole."

Daniel squared his shoulders, "No."

 _The raven does what it did in the old times, it steals from others and gives to whomever it deems worthy._

Max's eyes widened as she knew what would come next. "No!" She raised her hand to change time but she didn't belong in this moment. "Stop!" She shrieked.

The man's hand lunged toward the watch and Daniel struggled with him until the gun went off. Both of them jumped back at the sound but Daniel hit the wall and slid clutching at his chest. The mugger looked down at his own gun in terror as if it had transformed into a beast that could belch fire and metal all on it's own. He leaned down and peeled the watch off of Daniel's limp wrist and stared back at him before abandoning him and sprinting down the alley.

Max collapsed beside Daniel and touched his cheek as tears welled in her eyes.

"Please...someone help me." He wheezed. A rose of blood bloomed from the hole in his chest. It's petals pattering to the ground as the life left it.

She clung to his arm and whispered, "I'm here Daniel. Please. Can you hear me?"

She was indiscernible to him, caught between the lines of time of what is and what was. "Help! Someone! Help him!" Her cries were swallowed by the vacuum. Max's arms folded around him and held on as if she could drag him back with her to the present. The embrace that held her back belonged to Joseph.

"Joseph...Daniel...I saw what happened. I'm...I'm…"

She choked the words out as her chest heaved. "So...so...sorry." She sucked in a deep breath, "It's not fair!" She wailed and slammed her fists into the ground. She kicked her shoes into the grass and flailed but Joseph held onto her as she screamed in vain. Finally, she slumped into his arms and began to bawl. His sobs began to mix with her own and she squeezed him back. Both of them sat in the dirt while he rocked her back and forth. Boots tore through dead leaves as Chloe ran back to the house.

"Max?!"


	14. All But Gone

**A/N: The holidays were busy but I'm back at it with my longest chapter so hopefully it makes up for the gap. The more I write the more I don't want the story to end. I've already begun thinking of plans for a part 2. Let me know what you guys think and i really hope you enjoy.**

The next moments that passed for Max were mostly incoherent but to her it had felt like Chloe was dragging her out of a fight. Judging from the way she felt she could only assume she had been on the losing side. Chloe was patting the dirt off her clothes and holding her. She remembered Joseph mentioning something about dinner and then he was gone. What exactly had she fought against? Max couldn't place a name but she knew this had not been the first time they had met. It had taken people she had cared for away from her before. Max had tried to stop it when it took William but it always seemed to win in the end. It took Chloe in that timeline instead. What would it take from her now? She had held onto her blue haired fury through all the timelines and she wouldn't allow it to take her now. Chloe pulled her into the house, toward their room. Her feet shuffled along but it was mostly due to the fact that Max knew nowhere else to go."

"Max, what happened? I thought everything was going fine." Chloe asked as she closed the door.

Max took a seat on the bed. The concoction that Joseph had given her was working its way out of her system. Chloe waited for the answer hanging onto the doorknob behind her with both hands behind her back. Max played with her fingers in her lap before looking up at her. "I asked Joseph to give me something to help me have another vision, like the one I had when I touched the totem. I had to ask the spirits for more time." Chloe stepped away from the door rubbing the palms of her hands against her jeans. She blew out a breath and Max could tell she was disappointed in her.

"Friday is closing in on us and I couldn't go through another timeline again. I don't want to be doomed to lose the things I've done over and over. If I do, what does anything I ever do even mean anymore?" Max tried to explain.

Chloe sat down beside her, she looked smaller with her shoulders hung low weighed down by the pressure of a role Max was forcing her into. Max wondered how long she could keep this up, looking after her like this.

"I know you're disappointed. I should have told you about it." Max added.

Chloe shook her head confused, "What? I'm not disappointed Max. I was hella worried. You should have told me you were going to throw back voodoo juice and start spirit tripping. I would have been there to watch you." Chloe had a wry smile as she realized how that last part sounded. "I mean watch over you."

Max peered down at her fingers that were still having their own fidget war. "I mean it didn't seem dangerous. Joseph was watching me too."

Chloe slid an arm around the smaller girl's waist and leaned in pressing her cheek against the side of the smaller girl's head. She pressed her lips against Max's forehead producing an audible smooch, "I don't want to lose you or something happen to you and I'm not there. I heard that scream and I freaked. What the hell was I even going to find when I got to you?" Chloe huffed, "This time travel stuff starts to feel above my paygrade as a bodyguard."

Max kissed her back on the cheek. "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Did they at least give you more time like you wanted?" Chloe asked.

Max nodded and leaned into the taller girl. "There is also a part of my new power that I haven't mentioned. It's something I've been trying to figure out how to control before I said anything." Yet again, more secrets. Why couldn't she just have told her the moment it had happened back in her room? She remembered the way Chloe cried. Max had never seen her so devastated and it was all her fault.

Chloe put her hand on top of her's, "What is it?"

"Well...Sometimes when I touch someone I can see into their past just like when I did at the Raven totem. I don't have to rewind. It comes to me like a vision. I saw into Joseph's when I first got here and I was able to do it again inside the spirit vision."

"What did you see?"

"You know Joseph's son that he mentioned before?"

"Yeah?"

"He didn't just move out like Joseph said. He left here and I think it may have been the last time they saw each other. Daniel is dead."

"Oh man, I thought something was wrong." Chloe started to rub her forehead but stopped coming to a realization. "What else have you seen? Something with me? Is that why you didn't tell me before?" At Max's silence she drew away as if the smaller girl could see right through her and could comb through every dark moment she had ever had. She didn't even want to ask now but she knew she had to. "What...what did you see?"

"Chloe...I'm so sorry…" Max began. It pained her to see Chloe pull away.

"Max. What. Did. You. See." Chloe demanded.

"It was a memory from years ago. I had already left for Seattle, you hadn't colored your hair yet and it was really late. You were laying in bed and you texted me but I didn't respond. You were crying."

Chloe sighed in relief, she was glad that it wasn't anything worse. It was a moment that had passed so long ago for her but the coat of guilt Max wore now was fresh. She remembered that night. It didn't take her long to find the scar that went with it and like a mouth sore the more she tongued at it the more it began to hurt again. That night was the night when she had discovered that she was wrong. A heartbreaking truth had finally sunk in. They wouldn't be best friends forever or ever have the chance to make it anything more. She truly was alone. She had done everything with either her Dad or Max and now there wasn't anyone. There was no one out there left for Chloe Price. She could remember that loneliness, how crushing it felt, the way it made it hard to breath or to think of anything else. Chloe attempted to muster a smile for Max but recalling that hollowness only allowed her to lift up half of it.

"You're here with me now Max." Her voice was weak and shaky and she knew as soon as the words left her lips that they were meant to convince herself. She could lie to others and she had. Before Max had come back it seemed like it was the only thing she was ever doing. Where had she been? What did she do last night? Had she been drinking again? Every line out of her mouth had a been a lie or a dodge and she hated it. It was like a drunken waltz of conversation and every partner left her hollow and unsatisfied every time. Talking to Max was like freedom. She had never quite mastered the trick of lying to herself. It was always the brutal truth and the worst critiques that were left for herself. All of her defenses were lined up and one by one they all tumbled down like dominos. She couldn't use a one against Max as she felt herself being drawn into a hug. Chloe sat her chin on the brunette's shoulder and let those same tears spill from her eyes, the tears she had cried on that night. For Max and for her Dad.

"I was so stupid Chloe. I didn't know what to do. I was scared. I was in a new place and I was without you. I didn't know what to say or what to talk about being so far away and the days went so fast and then it became weeks where I didn't respond and I felt so bad. I was a horrible friend but I've seen Joseph. I see how he lives and I can't be like him. I don't want to live in the past anymore."

Max held the hidden girl in her arms as she sobbed softly into her shoulder, the one that had hid away to avoid more pain and suffering. "Joseph can't go back into the past and change things anymore than I could change everything with you and not alter time drastically. But I promise you I'm going to make our future better and I can control that. Do you forgive me?" It had been the first time she asked that. All this time it had been understood that Chloe had accepted her back but something else had lingered in the air between them. She had never asked to be forgiven and Chloe had never gotten over all the losses she had experienced. With Chloe in her arms now, with them together in this timeline and all the others to come, Max wanted to be the one thing that had returned to her.

Chloe sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes with her forearm. "I forgive you Max." She leaned in giving all of herself to the embrace. "Don't ever fucking leave me again." Chloe added with a teary chuckle.

"Never." Max whispered.

Max held onto Chloe as long as she wanted. Their hug slipped into a comfortable cuddle with each leaning into the other. There were a few soft raps against the door and Max looked over reluctant to release this moment but she stood up and answered the door. Joseph peeked inside.

"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt." He said spotting Chloe's puffy eyes turn away from him to hide her embarrassment. "Dinner is ready, it's in the kitchen. I have some work to do upstairs so I wanted to say goodnight to you both."

"Thanks…" Max said placing a hand on the back of her head, "I'm sorry about what happened today."

"No." He leaned into the frame of the door and thought for a moment before continuing, "Thank you Max." It seemed for a second that he wanted to say more. To explain what Max had done to deserve thanks but it added up to more than he could put into words. Finally they smiled at each other sharing a moment of quiet understanding between themselves before he turned and walked away. Joseph had a lost a son. There was a quiet rage that burned within him like coals that had been lit a long time ago. The sorrow had all but snuffed the fire out. He had witnessed that same outrage in Max after the vision. Even though he knew it was already too late to do anything, had always been too late, the knowledge that someone had felt the same brought him a semblance of peace.

She turned around in time to see Chloe standing up and stretching giving her hips a wiggle. The punk gave a show of giving her a big smile this time to prove she was feeling better. "You heard him. Lets raid the grub."

When they entered the kitchen a plate was set for both of them displaying the signs of Joseph's signature exactness. Even their silverware and napkins were meticulously laid out. Joseph was a man of few words but the moment Max had seen his carvings upstairs, she understood he wanted the way he did something to speak in his stead. Their dinner was baked fish and steamed vegetables. Chloe suggested they watch tv so they both plopped down on the couch on opposite ends but facing each other. Chloe stretched out laying her long lanky body almost completely across the couch.

"Couch hog." Max muttered. She copied Chloe but propped her own legs on top of the punks while balancing her plate.

"Hey…" Chloe started to protest but a sly smile flickered across her lips that stirred up butterflies in Max's stomach. Max started to eat her food and watch Chloe. She was up to something. The punk tried to look innocent as she returned the look and poked at her food. Max knew this game. It was an old one but everything between them had never really been forgotten, just stored away like a box that said William's things. It was waiting to be opened again so everything good could spill out. Chloe would get an idea and then wait for the right moment to spring it, usually when Max was the most unsuspecting and where maximum squealing could be achieved.

They ate in silence both of them looking at the other to make the first move. Chloe finished first and put her plate down and idly watched the tv. It was more news and pretty much mindless. Chloe waited for Max to set her plate down on the coffee table before springing her trap.

"Max toes!" Chloe shouted as she grabbed one of Max's legs that had been resting on top of hers.

"Noooooo!" Max wailed and laughed as Chloe tickled her feet. The brunette squirmed and tried to wrench her foot away from the cackling girl. Her stomach ached from laughing as she pulled away and sat up on her knees facing Chloe and hiding her feet underneath her. The taller girl sat up on her knees and made motions to go for Max's feet.

'NoOOoo. No." Max giggled and pushed Chloe's wiggling fingers away. She tucked her feet between the cushions.

"Cheater." Chloe huffed.

"Am not. I'm protecting my toes from further aggression."

Chloe grinned. "You have the cutest little toes. I never payed attention to how small your feet were."

"I didn't know Chloe Price had a foot fetish."

"I don't! But they're so adorable. I couldn't help myself."

"So you attack them?" Max scoffed. She raised her nose in the air in an attempt to look snobby giving her best Victoria sneer. "You may admire them but no tickling."

Chloe's 'well not going to do that' face only made her drop the act into her normal dorky self and she couldn't resist a chuckle. She placed a hand on Chloe's chest and pushed her back and the punk waved her arms around in an attempt to keep her balance before toppling over onto the couch. Max pounced on top of her eliciting an audible 'Oooff" and she pushed her small toes against Chloe's making her grin as they rubbed their feet and legs together.

"All these home cooked meals and hanging around the house, it makes me think of Joyce." Max said as she rested her head on the taller girl's chest.

"Oh yeah?" Chloe asked, her hand automatically going to where it belonged, her fingers playing through Max's short locks.

"I miss her. I haven't even got to see her in this timeline. I know it's not as big as everything we are dealing with, but I can't help but want to tell her about you and me."

"You do?" The punk cooed glancing down at her.

Chloe could only see a mass of brown bushy hair bob up and down at the question. "I want her to know how much I love you and I'm always going to be here now." She mumbled into the fabric of the punk's top.

Chloe started to fumble with the back of Max's shirt. She slipped her hand underneath it and for a moment Max thought she was trying to unhook her bra when finally she lifted up her head. "Uh, Chloe what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find the off switch because I am about to explode with fluff overload."

Max giggled and shook her head, "No stopping me."

Chloe slid her fingertips across the bare skin of Max's back making her shiver and the brunette readjusted. "I know it's kinda dorky but I think it's romantic in a way. We're highschool sweethearts, just like William and Joyce."

"Um, well technically I dropped out…"

"Hush. Let me have this." Max said.

Chloe chuckled, "Ok Mad Max it's yours."

They both laid there and watched tv for a few hours and every once in awhile Max could hear movement above her head in Joseph's workroom. She figured he must be making something for her for tomorrow. It began to get late and after finishing a movie Chloe peered down and asked, "Tired yet sweetheart?"

"Sure am sexy pants." Max chimed.

Chloe groaned and rolled her eyes at her joking pet name but smiled regardless. They both got up and headed for the bedroom. Chloe shut the door behind them and flipped the light out. In the dark Max could hear the shuffling of clothes being discarded and she pulled her own off leaving her shirt and panties on as always. She wiggled herself underneath the covers and the other half of the bed lowered as Chloe joined her.

When Max reached out for the taller girl she knew something was off the moment she felt warm bare skin. Chloe scooted closer to her at the touch and Max ran her fingers across the taller girl's uncovered chest. She wasn't wearing a top. Without thinking Max's hand raced down and brushed against her thigh and rode the curve up to her bare butt. There wasn't any bottoms. Chloe giggled as Max pieced the tactile puzzle together. She pressed closer against Max and moaned in her ear as the brunette squeezed her.

"You like?" Chloe breathed.

"Uh huh." Max managed to sputter.

Chloe coiled her arms around the smaller girl's neck as the brunette's hands travelled up her sides. "How about you join me?" The question wasn't meant to be seductive it was sincere but it didn't arouse her any less to hear the offer. Max sunk her fingers into Chloe's awaiting breasts and kissed her lips.

Between their kisses Max let out a desperate pant, "Undress me." There was a pause in the darkness but Chloe obeyed her request. She lifted the brunettes top over her head tossing it to the floor. Max placed her hands on Chloe's arms as she tugged her panties down and Max kicked them off and on to the floor. The moment she was finally bare to Chloe she felt a rush like a wave build up inside her chest. Their limbs were unimpeded from tangling with each other. A moan escaped her lips as she felt Chloe's head dip down and her lips catch the nub of her breast. She had never realized she could feel this close to anyone until she was. Max couldn't understand what a barrier that little bit of fabric could be until that wall was removed and nothing was between them. The heat of their bodies and breathes melding together felt more intimate than anything she could have imagined.

"Never leave me again." The hidden girl called out in the darkness between their kisses as they held each other.

"Never." Max gasped. The night melted away in pleasure and bliss until they fell asleep in each other's arms.

When Max finally stirred awake she could hear the drone of the tv in the living room once again followed by an aroma of coffee peeking underneath their bedroom door. She was laying on her back and felt Chloe's leg crossed over hers. She looked over and smiled at the sleeping punk turned over and stretched across the bed. She would finally get the morning cuddle time she had desired yesterday. Max's hand reached out towards her but stopped short. She didn't want to disturb this view of Chloe just yet. She twisted slowly so that she was laying on her side and her eyes tracked over the sleeping girl's body. Chloe looked so beautiful like this, it was practically a crime to wake her up but Max knew she would have to eventually.

Max slid up behind her trying her best to be the big spoon with her smaller frame. She latched onto the taller girl securing her arms around her waist. Her efforts turned out to be less like a spoon and more like a Caulfield backpack. Chloe shifted in her arms and she issued a groggy mumble before her words started to make sense.

"Good morning grope to you too" Chloe said. She reached behind her back hunting for something to grab and found the smaller girl's leg giving it a squeeze.

Max planted a path of kisses down the back of Chloe's neck down to her shoulder. She giggled self consciously when Chloe turned over towards her with a roused expression.

"I think Joseph is up, and if you keep doing what you are doing he's going to hear some screaming, and it's not going to be the bad kind." Chloe reconsidered for a moment with her sleepy brain, "Or it might be the bad kind but…"

Max grinned and tilted her head in consideration, "Don't threaten me a with a good time."

Chloe tapped a finger to her lip, "I'm not sure if we have time. You can't be late to time lord training right?"

Max collapsed flat on her stomach to show her commitment to staying in bed awhile longer. "But you'll help me skip all my classes at Blackwell." She arched an eyebrow, "When did I trade you for the slack off role?"

Chloe shrugged but Max could tell she was actually trying to come up with an answer. "I don't know. I mean Blackwell isn't a school it's an image. Principal Wells is there to make sure no one screws it up. He doesn't care as long as he can knock back a few shots by lunchtime and the school makes him look good. He only started caring about me when I started fucking everything up for him. That was fun by the way. " Chloe made a few passing swipes at her hair in an attempt to brush down her bed hair but sunk back into her pillow with resignation. Max thought she looked cuter with crazy spiky blue hair anyway, with locks of it jutting out in random directions. Chloe continued, "I didn't trust Joseph when we first got here but he really seems to care if you get this stuff. He's going out of his way and that I can at least give him props for."

Max propped her head on her arm and looked over at Chloe. "I feel bad. I was given these powers by accident I get the feeling Joseph was trying to prepare Daniel to do what I am doing now. He just got stuck with me instead."

"It wasn't an accident." Chloe looked almost angry at the suggestion but her features relaxed as she reached over to brush the brunette's cheek with the back of her hand. "You saved my life. I know you may not want to hear it but what if Daniel wasn't cut out to handle this? You're hard on yourself but you have to admit, you're really freakin good at this." Chloe leaned over and gave the brunette a quick spank, "Now c'mon' let's get up and shower. I bet Joseph will teach you how to teleport or something today."

"Uh, technically I can already do that remember?" Max didn't waste time correcting her shooting a self satisfied grin.

"Of course you can." Chloe snarked.

The two girls got out of bed and Max grabbed their towels from the drawer. She caught the punk staring at her while looking back over to see if Chloe was ready. Max let one of the towels unfurl draping a cover over her. "Perv." Max accused with a mischievous smile.

"Yep." Chloe said with a grin. She snatched the towel away and Max gasped as she was left bare again. "And that's my towel."

The couple made their way to the bathroom and once again showered together. Max enjoyed that Chloe and her were becoming so comfortable with each other. A couple weeks ago she was showering and sleeping alone for the most part. Now she couldn't imagine going through even these mundane routines without Chloe to make it seem more special. It was like the times as a child she had asked her mom to stay over at the Price's but instead she could enjoy that special feeling for more than just a weekend.

After their shower the girl's got dressed and headed into the kitchen. Joseph seemed better today, even happier as he busied himself with making breakfast.

"Good. The girls are finally awake." He smiled flipping an egg.

The way he said girls made Max smile to herself. It was the same way William had said it, as if Max was part of the family.

"Whoa." Chloe said spotting a plate of stacked pancakes. "Target acquired."

"Wowzers all of this looks amazing."

"It is such a treat to cook large meals again. Please sit, sit. This will be done in a second." Joseph encouraged.

The breakfast was just as amazing as it looked and her and Joseph spent the time talking about her progress yesterday while Chloe listened scarfing down pancakes. After breakfast Joseph took them back outside for more shaman training.

"So you already know how to target rewinds but that's not the only thing you can localise. Time stops take a lot of energy. It's one of the most powerful abilities I've seen you use. You don't have to stop everything around you though." Joseph held up one of the red balls, "You can target time stop too. Freeze only the things you want frozen and leave the rest and yourself still moving. You already sort of do that when you time stop. Like I mentioned before, you're already targeting when you leave yourself unfrozen, so you know how to do it. You just need to flip it in reverse just like the target rewinds."

Max was skeptical. "I've only done time stops when I'm under pressure. I haven't really tried to do them, they just happen."

"Well let's try. I'm going to throw the ball at you and I want you to freeze it in place."

"This is going to be good." Chloe rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"I'm not so sure abo-" The ball bounced off Max's head and Chloe broke into laughter.

"Darn. Sorry Max. Are you alright?" He walked over checking the top of her head. She squinted at Chloe and crossed her arms.

"Yeah. Fine." She muttered.

Chloe finally recovered and took in a breath holding her sides. "Ok c'mon that was funny."

"Maybe we should practice a different way...I just thought the instinct to not get hit would help trigger the correct emotion." Joseph wondered out loud.

"No." Max gave her head a shake and waved him forward, "Let's keep going just...ya know, aim lower."

Joseph nodded and stepped back. He set the bag of dodgeballs near his leg and reached in throwing another. Max flinched as it hit her leg. He grabbed another and it hit her in the stomach. She could feel annoyance rise up inside her like acid in her throat, she was holding out her hand commanding time to stop but it wasn't working. This was just like in middle school, getting pelted by dodgeballs. She wasn't any good at this. Another ball hit her. Now she was embarrassing herself in front of Chloe.

"Ok enough. This is stupid."

Joseph threw another ball into her chest and he reached for another.

"Hey. I said stop."

Chloe watched in disbelief as Joseph chucked another ball and it hit Max in the arm. What the hell? He wasn't listening. He was grabbing another ball. The next one would have hit her in the head but she dodged it.

"Dude, she said stop." Chloe interjected.

Joseph winded up for another throw and let it go.

"Stop!" Max shouted and the ball stopped in front of her face hanging in mid air as if dangling from an ethereal string. Max unclenched a fist she didn't realize she had balled up.

"Amazeballs…" Chloe said under her breath staring at the ball quivering in mid air at the small girl's command.

"You've done it." Joseph said, proudly clapping.

"I...did it." Max repeated his words back smiling. She let the ball drop to the ground.

"It seems that for you, extreme emotion channels this ability. The desire to have things outside of your own control stop. It's a common feeling you get when feeling overwhelmed. You want a moment to catch your breath and be able to think. Rewinding comes naturally to you. It can come with the feeling of regret. One emotion is easier for you than the other."

Max nodded, "Let's practice some more."

One at a time Joseph threw a ball and Max caught it in the air freezing it in time. After some time he threw multiples at once and she was able to target all of them and hold them all in place.

"Lemme' get some of that." Chloe picked up a ball and both her and Joseph attacked. Max giggled with amusement as she held both of her hands up and froze each shot they threw at her. They got faster and faster until Max had a wall of red dodgeballs all suspended in mid air time stopped in front of her.

Max grinned. "My turn." She concentrated on the dodgeballs and rewound all of them back to where they had been thrown. Joseph and Chloe both hit the dirt for cover as the balls went flying back at them. Max was smiling as both of them laughed on the ground.

"You always have to do it the cheater way." Chloe teased as she offered a hand to Joseph to pull him back up.

"I was outnumbered. I had to even things out." Max replied sticking her tongue out at her but she quickly put it back in her mouth when Chloe started to waggle her eyebrows at her with a cheeky smirk. Her cheeks started to burn.

Joseph didn't seem to notice or he didn't mind, he clapped a hand on her shoulder. Max was starting to enjoy seeing that good natured grin on his face when she succeeded at something. He was certainly a better mentor than her last, that was for sure. "I'm impressed Max. I apologize for pushing you but it seemed to have worked. A way of teaching I picked up from my father I suppose. He used that method a lot more than I."

"Oh yeah?" Chloe asked with curiosity.

"I too once had a drink of the same stuff that I gave Max yesterday. I was having difficulty discovering my spirit animal. My father thought it best if I invoked it myself. He had me go out in these same woods in the fall after I had fasted for weeks. I grounded myself as I showed Max and meditated for hours after drinking that nasty stuff." His nose wrinkled and his mouth twisted at the corners as he recalled the memory.

"That's some kind of father son bonding." Chloe remarked with mock enthusiasm.

He shrugged, "It worked." He looked to Max, "But that should be enough for today, I don't want to wear you out. I do have one more thing to show you. It's something I was working on last night."

Max and Chloe waited in the living room while Joseph went upstairs to bring down his project. When he came back he held up what looked to Max like a wooden flute. It was a long tube hollowed out all the way through end to end but it had no other openings. Max took it into her hands and rolled it over looking at the carving of the raven and doe that had been etched into it by Joseph. A single black feather was attached to the bottom of it.

Chloe couldn't wait. "So? What is it? Magic spirit wand? Shaman dimension displacer?"

Joseph grinned, " No no, it's a tool for exercising bad spirits from the body. In the old times shaman's would take instruments like this and blow through them and chant a ritual. It was supposed to blow the bad spirit right out of you. I took this when I visited Sean in hopes I could use it to separate his spirit from Yaahl's. I now understand it was meant for another to use. " His smile faded turning into a reverent expression, "The true Sg̱aaga of Arcadia." At the girl's combined looks of ignorance his smile returned and he translated. "Shaman." He pointed at the engraved doe. "I spent last night adding in the last touch I didn't know I needed before."

"Thank you Joseph. I mean really for everything. I know I keep saying that but I really do mean it. You never had to do any of this" Max said.

He chuckled, "Don't thank me yet. Just wait until I teach you the long boring chant you're going to have to memorize to use it."

He took the pipe back and that's when the bullet hit him. The living room window shattered into glass shrapnel that pattered to the floor. Chloe shrieked and dropped to the ground. Max saw Joseph's body slammed against the couch as he dropped back into it from the force of the bullet. Without thinking she spun around toward the window and held up her hand to rewind. The window repaired itself but as Max turned back to look at Joseph the rewind hadn't repaired him. He was on the floor now leaning back against the couch cushions and clutching at his chest. That same red bloom that she had saw on Daniel spread now across Joseph's chest. Chloe shouted something but Max couldn't hear it. She dropped down next to him.

"Joseph. I rewound." She said it matter-of-factly still in shock. Her brain struggled to process everything that was going on but she knew something wasn't right. She put her hand to his shirt and the warm blood stuck to her fingers. She held it up to her face, it was real. Chloe grabbed her arm and shook saying something again. She heard her name but watched as Joseph pulled down the collar of his shirt revealing his protection charm.

"Max! Stop time!" She finally recognized Chloe's words as it was punctuated with another shot that sent a flurry of white stuffing in the air as it hit the couch. The room froze. The couch cushion stuffing froze with it suspended in the air. The scene must have looked surreal if Max could have paid attention to any of it.

"I...I can just pull this off and rewind." Max said as if bargaining with the reality of the situation and she wrapped her fingers around the charm fastened to Joseph's neck. He placed his hand on her arm and shook his head.

"Won't...matter. Wore charm...during…"

"No...It's not to supposed to protect you against me." Tears began to fall down Max's face. She was reliving this moment all over again but this time it wasn't a memory, it was for real. And she had failed him. She couldn't help then and she couldn't help now. Max knew he was right. The power that she controlled and the power the spirits wielded was arbitrary. It worked like a tool and just as the gun that had shot Joseph had no intention of it's own, her powers also were at the mercy of their user. The charm would protect him from her as equally as it would protect him from Sean. Joseph put the pipe in her hand and closed her fingers around it.

"You...have to."

"I won't leave you." Max said holding onto his arm as if she expected to be able to drag him along with her away from here. Another bullet pierced the window hitting the back wall of the room. Time had still been frozen and the glass floated in the air at the impact.

"Max! He's still shooting. Through the time stop! We have to go!"

Chloe wrestled the smaller girl away throwing them both hard back onto the floor. Another shot hit the couch above them. "Let's go!" She repeated. Max could see over the coffee table and she looked out the window seeing parts of it split open by the bullets.

"It has to be someone Sean sent. He has to be wearing a charm too. I can't stop him with my powers Chloe."

"We have to go out the back, make it to the truck." Chloe suggested holding the brunette close to her on the ground.

Max released the time stop to conserve her energy. She crawled next to Joseph who had now lost a lot of blood as it started to pool around him.

"I'll stop him Joseph."

"I...know you...will. Didn't say enough...was always...proud of you…"

His last sentence didn't make any sense to her now and she didn't have time to figure out what he meant. Chloe was behind her pushing her forward. She dropped to her hands and knees and both girls crawled scrambling to the kitchen. They stood up and Chloe opened the back door and waved Max to follow her. They both stopped and spun around as soon as they heard the front door swing open. It had to be him Max thought.

"Run!" Chloe hissed under her breath and they both took off running toward Chloe's truck that was parked near the pond. She heard the punk curse behind her as the screen door slammed after them indicating their escape route. Dead leaves crunched under their feet as they ran and Max jumped at the sound of another shot that hit a nearby tree. She saw the large tree with the hollow stump in front of her and she grabbed Chloe's hand pulling them both behind it.

Chloe was panting beside her. The shooter was getting closer. They could hear his shoes stepping on the same leaves making the same path they had.

"I'm going to go around the side of here and go for the charm. He has to be wearing one. When I yank it off you take care of the rest." Chloe whispered.

"What? No!" Max whispered back but before she could stop her, Chloe was already crouched down and inching toward the edge of the tree. Once the man had come close enough Max kicked the tree with the back of her shoe and the shooter turned towards her side of the tree. Chloe lept out and Max came out in time to see a black haired man in a dark coat struggling with the taller girl. Chloe had pushed his gun arm away and broke the chain a charm had been hanging around his neck from.

"Fuck!" He sweared as it snapped and he aimed the gun at the punk. Chloe raised her hands in an attempt to defend against the shot she knew would be speeding her way but it never came. She opened one eye to peek out after shutting them close.

Max had her hand raised and the shooter's charm, Chloe could see, was dangling uselessly in her hand in front of her. He was frozen, completely at the mercy of Max's wrath.

"Ok now let's go Max." Chloe said but Max didn't seem to register her words.

"You and Sean think you can take anything that you want and there won't be any consequences?" She growled. Chloe took a step back, she had never seen Max like this before. Tears of hot rage were streaking down the brunette's cheeks boiling over from within her small figure. For the first time, Max frightened her.

"I'm going to take from you what you stole from Joseph. Your future."

Max squeezed her fist and Chloe watched as the air around the man shimmered and warped. This was no longer a targeted time stop or even a rewind. The space Max controlled went forward in time. It was a bubble that contained it's own universe and Max was god there. An angry fire and brimstone using god. Chloe cringed and dropped the charm as the man let out an unnatural animalistic roar of pain. Max was fast forwarding his life. Everything he would ever experience in this timeline he was forced to face now in an instant. His hair greyed and then turned white, his skin drew up and wrinkled. He aged into an old man but Max didn't stop. She screamed and their cries crashed together swirling into a cacophony of pain and anguish. Max forwarded him into nothing but ashes. Her fist unclenched and it slumped to her side. Chloe rushed over and hugged her.

Max looked up at her in daze as if she had just come out of a nightmare. "You okay Chloe?"

Chloe nodded and squeezed the smaller girl in her arms. She looked back at the ash pile where a person use to be. "I'm fine but are you alright sweetheart?"

Max peeked around the taller girl and she shook her head looking at the ashes. She was trembling in the taller girl's arms.

"C'mon let's get you to the truck. We have to leave." Chloe took her hand and led her to where she had parked the truck. She opened the driver side door and let Max scoot in first to her usual spot in the middle. Chloe regarded the pile of ash one last time before climbing in and turning the truck on. She backed up and turned around driving to the front of the house past the broken living room window. The truck came to a halt in front of the house.

"I'm going to go get our stuff…" Chloe said. She opened the door and started to get out before a hand pulled her back. She wheeled around to face Max.

"You don't have to. Stay." Max said.

Chloe got back in and watched Max get out of the passenger side. The brunette stood in the middle of the yard and raised both hands. It took a moment before Chloe realized anything was happening but inside she could see the images of their past selves moving about inside the house. Max was rewinding. A targeted rewind, on their entire existence here at Joseph's house. His body laid inside and some stranger's ashes were in the backyard. They would never be able to explain any of it to the police. Finally, Chloe saw the images of themselves and Joseph arrive on the first day and she looked down to see their luggage packed under the seat where it had been before she had brought it inside. Max lowered her hands and got back into the truck defeated and exhausted, she was crying softly. Chloe drew her in against her side and kissed the top of her head as Max clutched tightly to the kan jagáa that Joseph had made for her. Her fingers curled around the pendant of the doe.

"It's not lost. It meant something to us." Chloe said as she stared at the empty house.


	15. Sitting Raven Standing Bear

Chloe hadn't set a destination when she left Joseph's driveway. It was a response that was so innate now, so instinctual, that she had subconsciously chosen a direction to go. The process that set her down this course time and time again was just as repetitive as the response. Something or someone would hurt her. She would jump into her truck to take off, to distance herself as far away from the hurt as she could.

This trip was different. No cursing, no beating on the wheel with her fists, and no loud music blaring so loudly that at last, it would finally rise above the volume of her own internal thoughts. She was numb. Joseph had died right in front of her. In some way, from the first moment she had met him, Chloe felt like his presence in her and Max's life was transient. By some turn of fate or choice, Joseph would leave them or be gone. The result was what she had prepared herself to face. She hadn't allowed herself a different outcome. Max had altered reality so many times before, she was still waiting for her to bring Joseph back from the dead. Chloe knew she couldn't. The sorrow was there, but it wasn't hers, it was Max's. It was a filtered type of loss as if through Max, the emotions a normal human being should be feeling, were being pumped second handed through a tunnel. Only it was coming from so far away so the impact wasn't as powerful.

It was that same disconnect from the loss that had saved them. Bullets we're raining down on them and Chloe had pulled Max out of there. The thought did little to make her feel better about her apathy. Max had said she had needed Chloe's help. Was this what she had meant? Hadn't realized at the time, but maybe some part of Max knew she would need her for this. Chloe wasn't sure if she wanted to be that person.

She drove past a sign that directed her to Arcadia Bay. She smirked pitifully to herself. Despite the countless times she had tried to leave it, here she was now returning to Arcadia. Her hands steadied themselves on the wheel guiding her on autopilot as if that place was a kind of dysfunctional home. She leaned over and adjusted the knob for heat to fight off the cold that only seemed to get worse as they got closer to bay.

Max hadn't spoken since they left. She was curled up into herself with her head resting on the middle seat of the cabin. Chloe assumed she had to be exhausted from using her powers so much. She could still hear that freakish howl echoing in her mind through a deep cavern she couldn't let her thoughts escape from. It had come from the man that Max had...had...not killed. No she had definitively not killed him. Max was not a murderer. Chloe peeked down hoping to see that adorable doe eyed girl that made her heart shine so brightly it hurt sometimes. Max was still in a fetal position with her arms pulled around each side tightly hugging herself. She was wearing the brown leather coat that her dad had got her.

"I know now why I like that coat so much on you." Chloe piped up clearing the air but Max didn't respond. She waited a moment to give her time. Nothing. "Dad had a coat just like that. It was his favorite. The one you have looks a lot like it." Chloe continued, peeking down at the brunette. No answer. _Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. Oh hey your coat is cool, and how about that dude you just smoked with your spirit powers? Real smooth._

Chloe put her hand down against the brunette's cheek. Max flinched at the sudden touch, it made Chloe chew on the side of her lip. The smaller girl wiggled a hand free and placed it on top of the punk's hand, her small fingers curling to produce a small squeeze. Chloe let out a soft breath in relief. Her Max was still here with her, just hurting.

There was another long bout of silence with nothing but the steady rumbling of the engine and the flow of heat from the vents. The small warmth resting on top of her hand felt like the only link she had to the brunette right now. Max was lost in her own head and this chord that Chloe was holding out to her was the only connection that she had to pull herself out of it with. Finally, she did.

"I shouldn't have done that Chloe…" Max said in a hushed tone.

"You did what you felt you had to do. To keep us safe. You protected me."

"No." Max breathed ejecting the word out of her lungs as if it was the last breath she would ever be able to muster.

Chloe waited for more to come. She couldn't help this along even if she knew what the right words to say were, and she certainly didn't.

"Joseph warned me. He told me that this stuff has a cycle. Using my power to do…" Max's voice hitched in her throat, "What i did...it's unnatural."

Another minute drifted past and Max sat up next to her. "Chloe?" The brunette squeaked. The punk turned her head towards her and Max sucked in quick breath. "What are these powers turning me into?"

Chloe's mouth hung open as she searched for the answer. What came back at first made her shudder. _I don't know_. She didn't know what these powers could do to Max but she knew who Max already was.

Chloe swallowed hard and with a free hand moved a lock of hair away from the brunette's forehead, "You have such a big heart Max. The biggest I've ever seen." She shot Max a reassuring smirk, "like bigger than a reformed Grinch. Actually, it's a little ridiculous how huge it is" Max's lips formed a small shy smile and those doe eyes that Chloe had missed sparkled. "When you care about someone, you fight for them. That's what you did for Joseph back there." Chloe leaned forward and pecked a feather light kiss on the smaller girl's nose. "Don't ever lose that sweet heart sweetheart." She had answered the question without answering the question. She just had to remind Max who she was and why she was doing all this.

Max pushed herself up and kissed the taller girl's cheek before nestling into her side. "Thanks." Another few minutes drifted by before Max started looking around at the passing scenery. She didn't know where they were going. "Uh, where we headed?"

"I know a motel that's outside the bay. I mean it's less holiday inn and more bates motelish but it's the perfect type of shithole to hide out in. It's out of the way and we should be able to lay low there without another of Sean's goons tracking us down. Honestly, I don't think the last guy tracked us. Sean found out where Joseph lived after that little visit he gave him. He probably thought that was a good place to start the search. I mean that guy could've shot one of us first but he didn't."

Max was half listening now sinking back into the seat, eyes closed. "Motel sounds good. I so need a nap. All that back there…even with the necklace Joseph gave me I can't just go all day."

Chloe drove a while longer before she spotted the motel's sign. She pulled in and looked over at Max. She was dozing in and out. A red mark had formed on her cheek where she had smushed it into the back of the seat. She was resting her head on it like a pillow. Chloe found a way to worm herself out of the truck without disturbing Max too much. The motel wasn't as run down as Chloe had suggested. It just seemed that way compared to their stay at Joseph's. Everything seemed more run down. She crammed her hands into her coat, and pushing down drew the coat around her body trapping the heat from the truck inside, then jogged across the parking lot toward the office. Without taking her hands out, Chloe elbowed the door open and a wave of warmth embraced her. She stepped inside the small office. There was a sound of felt cloth against wood.

"And the knight. It travels in an L shape."

"I already know that one papa. What's that one?"

Chloe stepped up to the counter, it's top covered with pamphlets advertising events both in Winfield and Arcadia that had already passed. A variety of business cards were also stacked next to each other, she wondered if anyone actually took any of them, she was tempted by the one for mobile auto repair. Behind the counter sat an old man in a blue sweater vest and young boy sitting across from each other, a chess board between them. Both of them turned to her. The boy swiveled his head back to the older man and received a nod.

"Go on Henry. This one's yours."

He hopped down off of the seat that was clearly too big for him, his bare feet making a soft thud against the carpet. He crawled up on a stool behind the counter but his head only just made it above it's top. He had to be around eight or so if Chloe had to guess. Papa scratched at his chin through curly white hair and with a low grunt hauled himself up and stood beside the boy.

"Hullo. My name's Henry. What's yours?"

Chloe tilted her head and smiled. "Chloe." She pointed to his shirt that had a green race car on it zooming around a track. "I like your shirt."

He beamed. "Thanks! I like your hair."

Chloe ran her fingers over a lock of hair that was hanging out of the front of her beanie. The old man amused with his boy 'hmm'd' and his gut shook with a small chuckle that rumbled below the surface. He gave Henry a nudge.

"Oh. What kind of room?"

"Double."

"How long would you like to stay?"

"A night."

Henry's papa reached behind the counter pulling out a key labeled six and set it on the counter. After Henry told her how much, Chloe paid for her and Max's room with cash. He opened the log book and turned it towards her. Chloe leaned over and wrote their names: Chloe Bluebeard and Long Max Silver. Henry closed the book and flashed a toothy grin at her.

"Have a nice stay."

"Let us know if you need anything." The old man added sliding the key across the counter to her.

Chloe nodded and pocketed the key walking back into the cold. A woman, ratty brown hair clinging to the side of a gaunt face, wearing a hoodie dotted with holes, started to walk with a desperate gait towards her. Chloe picked up the pace headed to room six and avoided eye contact.

"Excuse me."

 _Shit_

Chloe stopped in mid stride, her body still angled toward the room. "Yo."

"Could you spare like five bucks or something?" She awaited the answer with a nibble of her bottom lip. There wasn't even a sob story or reason for the handout request. Maybe she had been doing this for so long she didn't need a reason. A perpetual state of taking from anyone who would give.

"Sorry I only carry card on me." She only had enough in this world to give to one special girl that meant everything to her.

Chloe turned and kept walking and once she reached the door she slid the key into the lock and opened the door. The room wasn't much but it looked clean. She slipped the key back into her coat pocket and closed the door and jogged back over to the truck. Max was asleep stretched across the entire seat. A small smile crept across Chloe's face and she slide her hand underneath the brunette.

"Cmon' put your arms around my neck and…" Max murmured and snaked each arm around the taller girl's neck one at a time. Chloe hooked an arm underneath her legs and with a grunt lifted Max up. She gave the truck door a shove with her butt and it shut.

"Can you just like, carry me everywhere from now on?" Max mumbled rubbing one eye. The five dollar woman followed them with her eyes as Chloe carried the brunette to room six.

"Nope." Chloe managed and then when both of them were at their room she added, "Door."

Max's hand flailed out wildy patting down the door until her hand caught the knob. The punk gave the door a small kick with her boot. She waddled over to the bed and laid the girl down. Max sunk into the navy wool cover. It looked pretty thick and capable of keeping them both warm in this weather. Max was smiling and she moved her arms and legs like she was making an angel in the covers instead of the snow. Chloe chuckled. The room had dark grey carpet and matching curtains that would give them plenty of privacy. She crossed the room to close the door and lingered there after shutting it, her hand hovering over the door knob. It went silent, there wasn't even the sound of Max tossing the covers about.

"Joseph's gone." Max whispered behind her.

Chloe turned around. The brunette was now perfectly still staring up at the ceiling as if some answer was written up there for her. Chloe walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed next to Max.

"You need to get some rest." Chloe hung her head and pressed a hand against her leg.

Max took off her coat and Chloe stood up. Her coat fell to the floor, then boots, then her pants. She wasn't even that tired but the moment her knee pressed into the mattress and the brunette grabbed her arm she was done. She collapsed next to the smaller girl who was attached to her arm, she was something stable, secure. Max was underneath her, her cold nose pressed into the crook of her neck. She buried her face into the brunette's hair, the smell of her own shampoo floated to her nose. Max had decided that morning that her kiwi scent was better and had used it instead. Max shifted underneath her and she looked down, and Max back up at her. Their lips met but it wasn't to kiss, their eyes peered into each other as if the other were transparent. Chloe blinked and Max blinked back. Chloe couldn't understand why this felt so intimate but a warmth in her gut started to glow.

The brush of their lips together, warmth of their breath stirring into each other, it made them feel lighter as if the shadow now cast on them both could be lifted by sharing more moments like this. And when Chloe took in a breath, it was Max's. It swirled around inside of her sweeping up the feelings she had not had time for. Her chest shuddered with a cry that wouldn't escape her lips. Her jaw ached. Tears rolled down her cheeks but Max was there with her, cradling the back of her head with both hands. She pushed her lips against Chloe's and whispered between that small gap left between them as they parted.

"I know."

Chloe squeezed her eyes shut and a single note of sorrow escaped and it rose until it became more. They laid there until they could find the peace to sleep, finding it in each other.

* * *

Snow was falling in front of Max's face as she stood in the snow wearing black winter boots. A thick bit of fur lined the top of each. She didn't own these boots but she wish she did. She was wearing a coat that seemed to now belong to her as well, a black parka to match the boots. Fir trees surrounded her from every direction their branches laden with a layer of snow. A striking caw issued from the trees. Max started to scurry across the snow, a steady rhythm of crunching underneath her new boots. A raven soared above her and then dived down hitting the ground in front of her with such an impact that Max jumped back and shrieked. It had to be dead. Max leaned forward peeking into the snow. It wasn't. The creature shook the snow off its beak, blood trickling down from it. It pulled itself up and it's feathers had flecks of blood in them.

"Fool girl." It croaked.

It stamped a talon into the ground in front of her and Max took a step back. It's beady eyes stared at her.

"I will take everything from you." Max clenched her fists and opened her mouth to say something but a tickling in her throat stopped her. She coughed, then coughed again harder. Her hands went up to her throat. She coughed and coughed dropping to her knees. She had to vomit. Her throat convulsed and she bent over pressing her hands into the snow. She coughed hard and a black feather fell from her mouth and onto the ground. Max stared at it and the raven opened his beak, a maniacal laughter spilling out of it.

Suddenly the laughter ceased. Max lifted her head, the raven was no longer looking at her. It's beak was closed and its hateful gaze was pointed at a presence behind her. Its wings raised but it paused before unfurling and spreading them. She turned her head towards the presence. A black bear stood motionless at the edge of the tree line. With ease it pushed up with it's powerful hind legs and stood up letting out a roar. She turned back to the raven, it's feathers rustling as if it was hiding something of power underneath them. It wasn't paying attention to her now. Max crouched lower stretching out her legs and pushing her boots into the ground angling them for footing. She kicked off from the ground pushing up with her legs and hands at the same time to tackle the unsuspecting raven, her hands outstretched to grab him.

She expected to feel rough feathers or squirming and pecking underneath her but her hands squeezed two warm mounds of flesh instead. Chloe was now underneath her, eyes crinkled at the corners with a sly smile entertaining her lips. Max looked down at her hands that were pressed against Chloe's chest. She was sitting up in bed in their room.

"Hey." The punk whispered. She brought her hands up from underneath the covers and placed them on top of Max's. Max exhaled slowly as Chloe's palms caressed the top of her hands. "You okay?" A note of concern in her voice. She looked down at Max's hands. "Because I'm okay." She added with a smirk.

Max settled back down next to her, "Nightmare."

Chloe drew her in close and Max hooked a leg over the punk's and clung to her arm.

"Joseph?" Chloe looked down and raised her eyebrows.

"...I think so."

The taller girl gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Hungry?"

Max nodded.

"There's a diner behind the motel. I'll grab us something." Chloe rolled out of bed.

"Matching." Max said over Chloe's shoulder. She turned around and the brunette was staring at her panties.

"Well, now I have someone looking at them." Chloe gave her a wink before bending over deeply to pick up her pants and she smiled when Max giggled. She shoved one leg in at a time and halfway through the process her pocket vibrated. She buttoned and zipped and took out her phone.

"Joyce or David?"

Chloe ran a hand through her hair and held the phone away from her giving it another look as if that would change the words on the screen. "No fucking way."

"What?"

Chloe sat down on the edge of the bed her back turned to the brunette. "It's Nathan."

"What?" Max repeated and scooted up next to her so she could take a look for herself. "What did he say?"

"He said he wants to help us." Chloe was reading to herself silently. There was a wall of text that was now taking up the screen and it vibrated again with another message. "He knows that we know about the dark room and the raven stuff. He says Sean is scared of you and he wants to help us do something about it."

"Why?"

Chloe scoffed. "Hell if I know. Little fucker probably wants to take dear ole dad down with him." She scrolled down and read the second message with Max peeking over her shoulder. "He even sent an address to where he is holed up." Chloe locked her phone and crammed it back into her jeans. "No fucking way do we need his help. I'll send this address to David and he'll get the coppers to go round his dumbass up."

"Wait." Max put a hand on Chloe's arm. Chloe looked down at it and then back at Max and her eyes went wide. She shook her head.

"No Max."

"Yes. We could use his help." Max got out of bed and stood up in front of her.

Chloe looked up at her. "He's one of them. A Prescott. He killed Rachel, he drugged Kate, he drugged me. In most timelines the fucker probably killed me. You're the only reason I'm alive. The dude is a psycho."

"I know…" Max sighed, "But I don't know the chant."

"And you think he does?" Chloe sat back on the bed resting on her hands.

"I don't know but he might...or he might know where we can learn it. I got the feeling Sean studied the same type of stuff that Joseph did."

Chloe fell back into the covers covering her face with her hands. "I can't believe this."

"If there isn't a way for him to help than we can always fall back on your plan and turn him in. Either way he isn't getting out of what he did, even if he does help with Sean." Max crossed her arms.

Chloe slapped her hands against the mattress. "Alright. Fine. We'll go see the little prick but I dare him to make one wrong move and jail will be the last thing he will have to worry about."


	16. Bloodline

Max scooted over into the passenger seat to get a better look. Chloe, once she had spotted the traffic cones, slowed the truck to a complete stop on the bridge. A part of the wall had collapsed. Max could see the river flowing beneath them through the hole it had created. She pulled the front of her coat closed, just the thought of how cold the water must be down there gave her a chill. The truck was now slowly moving around the traffic cones as Chloe took to the left lane to get around them. Max slid back over shouldering into the punk. Her eyes followed the river until it was lost around a bend disappearing into leafless alder trees. The firs, wearing cloaks of white, loomed over them in the distance. They now seemed ominous, as if they were hiding something sinister under a disguise of pure white. She couldn't help but check to see if she was wearing winter boots. Nope. Still her converse.

"Talk about shitty infrastructure. The only thing stopping someone from taking a dip into an ass freezing river is a bunch of plastic orange cones." Chloe said speeding up, now back in the right lane. Max pulled her phone out of her coat pocket and checked the directions to the address that Nathan had given them. "Arrrrre we still on course first mate Max?" Chloe said growling the R sound out like a pirate. Max, face still buried in the screen, raised her eyes up to the punk with a smirk.

"Aye Captain."

She locked her phone and stuck it back in her coat. They were driving deeper into the forest now. The address he gave them was outside Arcadia bay but it wasn't far enough to be too long of a drive from their motel room. She should feel angry at Nathan for Joseph but she couldn't add that to his long list of misdeeds and blame him for what Sean had done. Max wondered if he even knew about it or how much information Sean really gave him. Chloe was trying to be supportive as best as she could, she hadn't complained even once after Max had made the decision. She could tell though. The way Chloe gripped the steering wheel, her knuckles white with periodic squeezing, most likely timed to the reasons she was coming up with in her head of why she should just do a 180 in the road and go back.

Max was thinking it over too. Her mind kept going back to the alternate timeline in which Jefferson had killed Nathan. He had left her that voicemail and apologized. It had been sad but true. Everyone had used him. A part of her wanted to turn around just like Chloe did, but she had resolved to make the most out of this timeline. No more time jumps unless there was absolutely no choice. She would use this timeline to see if he really meant any of the things he had said then and to give him a chance to make some of those things right.

"The Prescotts sure are sneaky little bastards, aren't they? They have a cabin out here and I bet, by the fact that he hasn't been caught yet, that it's not a property listed publicly under their name." Chloe scowled before muttering, "No telling how many other hidey holes they have."

The punk glanced over at her for a response for a moment before looking back at the road. Max didn't answer. Chloe felt the small weight of the brunette sinking into her side and hugging her. It made her smile. She had become so accustomed to that precise weight attached to her that when it wasn't, she felt naked. It was the same instinct you would have if the weight of a phone or a wallet was suddenly not pressed into your leg and you began to furiously pat the absent spot in a frantic search. When Chloe turned toward her, Max pushed a kiss into her cheek. "Thanks." She said.

Chloe blinked and looked down at her silently trying to work out what she meant. After a few moments, Chloe leaned back against her and kissed the top of her head. "I trust you, Max."

Max shook her head and reached out finding the fury's hand. Their fingers interlocked and Max squeezed. "I couldn't do this without you." Chloe gave her a crooked smile. The brunette looked determined but vulnerable. That unique mixture that only Max Caulfield could have. She was taking the lead but at the same moment looking at her, knowing that she didn't have all the answers. Those oddly confidant but uncertain blue eyes awaited her.

"That makes two of us." Chloe said softly squeezing back.

They drove for another twenty minutes before Max pointed toward a dirt road that was coming up on their right. "This one. The cabin isn't too far past that."

"We should pull over then. Go the rest on foot."

"No. I'm not going to hide from the Prescotts anymore." Max narrowed her eyes at the turn-off. "Drive up to the cabin."

"What?" Chloe asked in disbelief. The truck creaked to a stop. "You know Nathan isn't alone. He's probably got some guys looking after him."

Max was still staring down the road toward the cabin. "We can handle them."

Chloe blew out a breath and looked down the road then back at the steering wheel. The truck started rolling again headed toward the cabin. It was barely a road at all but faint tire tracks marked it in the dirt. It made a winding path, the leafless alders groped toward the truck's metal frame with their branches on either side. The small cabin grew closer. A man who had been sitting in a chair on the porch stood up as he spotted them. He wore a black baseball cap and a black nylon jacket.

"Guard numero uno." Chloe snarked. She pulled right up beside the black SUV that was parked in the front as if they belonged there. The cabin didn't look like much and it definitely didn't look like any housing that a Prescott would live in, that made it the perfect hiding spot. Grimey yellow plaid curtains were drawn to obscure the view that could be managed from the dirty window. There was a single faded welcome mat in front of the cabin door. The planks of the porch were tilted at certain ends from many years of use and subsequent neglect. They squeaked and groaned underneath as Mr. Uno walked down the steps and into the yard. He pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes hiding them from view. Only his mouth surrounded by a goatee shown underneath. Max was beginning to understand and share David's mistrust of men with goatees.

Chloe shut the truck off. The man's hand was resting on his hip but his fingers were outstretched itching at the holster at his side. He was eyeing them trying to size the two girls up. Chloe got out first then Max.

"This is private property…" His eyes suddenly went wide with recognition. He drew his sidearm leveling it at the brunette. "Max Caulfield."

The air around the Glock started to contort and the magazine ejected itself. A loud click and the slide slid back and then forward off of the handle. The spring and barrel worked its way out and the entire gun started to disassemble in his hand. He jerked away and stepped back pressing his foot against the bottom stair. The pistol parts now quivering in the air rewound until they blinked out of existence as if they had never been created.

"I hate guns." Max said with a hand raised.

Mr. Uno fell back against the stairs flailing his hand out for the railing to steady himself. His mouth was open, lips motioning mechanically for the words, but his breath had left him the moment his butt had touched the wood. His eyes were wide staring at the spot in the air where his gun use to be.

"So yeah...that just happened." Chloe said with a smirk. She drew her revolver out of her coat pointing it at him and waved the barrel up to signal him to get up. Mr. Uno looked at Max instead of the gun when he raised his hands. He wasn't sure exactly what he was surrendering to but whatever power the small brunette had in the palm of her hand was much more dangerous.

Max eyed the window. "Anyone else here?"

Chloe smiled to herself. Max looked confident and she recognized that familiar brave face she had seen Max use before when the girl had to face down something new or uncomfortable. How ironic that the guard be so afraid of her when all Chloe could think of was how cute she was being.

Mr. Uno was still staring at Max but he wasn't looking at her. His mind was still trying to comprehend where his gun had got off to. Chloe pulled back the hammer on the revolver and the click brought him back to his present predicament.

"Oh, uh, one other guy." He licked his lips and swallowed.

"Tell him to come out here." Max said.

The guard looked over his shoulder and called out, "Hey, Danny. Boss is out here. Come here."

"Damn straight the boss is here." Chloe muttered leaning on one hip and raising the gun towards the door.

After a moment of rustling and movement inside the cabin, a blonde haired guy, Mr. Dos, opened the door. He froze at the threshold and his eyes surveyed the scene.

"Shit." He sighed and raised his hands in the air.

"Uh huh. Now get down here with your boyfriend." Chloe said with a mischievous smile. Max smirked at her. She wasn't sure if Chloe should be having this much fun but at least this way no one needed to get hurt.

"Dad?" That one syllable word uttered meekly, deference posing itself as a question It seemed unnatural coming out Nathan, who was standing in the doorway wearing his signature red jacket. The fire in his eyes, the prideful smirk that almost always played on his lips as if he knew something that you did not, was gone. All that remained was someone unrecognizable, a distorted alternate Nathan from this time stood defeated there now. It occured to Max then that they had barely met in this timeline, she wondered what the difference would be. His eyes focused on the two girls "Oh." A hint of a smile. "You came."

Max could see Chloe was already loading up something sarcastic to shoot back at him but Max began before she could. "Take the other guy's gun. We can let them go and talk to Nathan. I don't want to hurt them"

Chloe walked over to Mr. Dos who was now standing next to Uno. She reached for the handle of the gun and he seized the moment to shove Chloe's gun hand away. She stumbled back but didn't fire, she hadn't even considered the possibility of needing to use it. Her hand was shaking with adrenaline as she swung the revolver back at him but he was now frozen in time. His fist was raised, aimed at the spot Chloe's head used to be.

"Holy shit." Nathan said. "How the fuck…"

"What an asshole." Chloe exhaled as her chest rose up and down quickly catching a breath she hadn't needed to use. She went to snatch the gun out of the holster but a strap fastened by a button held it in place.

"Damn it." Chloe muttered to herself as she fiddled with the holster. She looked over her shoulder back at Max to see if she was seeing this. The brunette gave her a knowing smirk. Finally, she pulled it free and threw it to the ground. "Get rid of it." She huffed. Nathan still had his gaze affixed to the frozen Danny so he hardly noticed when Max rewound the Glock into thin air. The first guard hadn't moved a muscle. He was standing as if he was frozen too, hands raised in compliance. Chloe walked back to her original position and Max let the time stop go. Danny punched the air and tripped forward barely catching himself from toppling over.

"Wha...?" He sputtered.

"I should shoot you for that." Chloe grumbled. He looked at Chloe now about fifteen feet away from him and then at Max completely dumbfounded. The last thing he remembered was Chloe walking over to disarm him. He looked down at his side at the empty holster and fingered the strap that was now hanging loose. Mr. Dos looked up and shrunk away from Max.

She didn't give him a chance to speak. "Get in your car and don't stop driving until you reach Arcadia. And when you talk to Sean." She narrowed her eyes, "Tell him I'm coming for him."

Chloe turned to Max with a surprised open-mouthed smile, her eyebrows raised. The two men scrambled into the black SUV and both girls watched as it peeled out of the yard and disappeared down the road. As soon as it was out of sight Chloe put her gun away and laughed.

"Oh my god, Max, you were hella badass." Chloe squared her jaw and made a finger pistol in the air pointing it toward the brunette. "Max Caulfield. We meet again." She growled in a bassy voice. Max grinned. Chloe straightened up and pointed a finger forward. "Tell Sean I'm coming for him." She said trying to sound heroic.

"Well I mean I am…" Max smiled self consciously putting a hand on her opposite arm. "I couldn't think of anything else to say."

"It was like straight out of an action movie. He even knows who you are!" Chloe gushed throwing her arms up in the air.

"Of course they do. My father showed them pictures and told them to look out for you. He thought you might do something to me like you were dangerous." Nathan said coming off the porch and sitting on the bottom step. Chloe turned to him and scowled remembering what they were really here for.

"He might be right if you don't have anything to give us." Chloe snarled.

Nathan ignored her and nudged the dirt with the end of his shoe and then looked up at the brunette. "I didn't think that crazy shit he said about you was true, but you just did it. Can you really do something about the Raven?"

Max let out a breath. "Honestly? I don't know, but I have to try."

His glance fell on Chloe as he spoke again. "If you know about the dark room then I know you don't really like the idea of talking to me but-"

"Understatement of the year."

"But." Nathan repeated pushing through Chloe's words. "I want that shit bird gone as much as you do."

Max ran her fingers up and down along the strap of her camera bag. "Why?"

Nathan pushed his fingers through his disheveled hair making no attempt to fix it. "Because that fucker has ruined my family." He spread his arms out, "My Dad thinks that it's helping us, like making us lucky. But what it's really doing is controlling us. We have to do what it says with those...pictures." He spat the last word out as if it had a bad taste. He stood up. Chloe squeezed the handle of the revolver in her pocket and eyed him.

He didn't seem to notice still talking directly to Max. "I'm not going down for some stupid ass spirit that is telling my Dad what to do and it's not going to tell me what to do either." He balled a fist and it was all Chloe could stare at. "Jefferson, Wells, My Dad, that Raven. All they have ever done is try to control me. If you have the same power that it does, then you can stop it. I can help you do that."

Chloe, still holding the gun firmly in her pocket, scoffed. "Yep. There's the real Nathan. You only want to help because your dumbass finally realized it was puppeting you. What about all those girls you hurt? The dark room? Pumping them with drugs and taking pictures? What about Kate?" A single tear slid down her cheek her voice teary and raising in volume after each question. "What about Rachel? What about me? What about...Max?" She drew the revolver on him and cocked it, her hand shaking. "You motherfucker!" Her voice quaked with a violent whisper as she said. "He took her there too."

"Just wait okay…" Nathan said raising his hands in the air.

"Chloe...put the gun down." Max said holding her hands out toward the punk's arm.

"Who's going to get justice?" Chloe asked waving the barrel in his direction.

"I know I fucked up okay? Give me a chance to fix it by doing this." He was talking only to her now.

Max stood beside the quivering girl. She placed her hands on Chloe's gun arm slowly pushing it down. "For me? Arcadia needs us and we have to take all the help we can get. We can't do this alone."

Chloe's chest shuddered as she cried still holding the gun on Nathan. She met Max's eyes and brushed the tears away from her own. "But you have me." Her voice cracked pushing the question into a higher pitch and her bottom lip was trembling.

"Oh Chloe…" Max lowered her head and her forehead rested against the punk's arm. Chloe, her sights still trained on the Prescott, reached over with her left hand and clutched the smaller girl's head holding her against her arm. Her knees started to give and she leaned forward holding herself up, the tears falling off of the tip of her nose.

Max placed a hand on her back as Chloe lowered the gun. The brunette's hands snaked around the punk's arm so that she could hold onto it. Chloe loved that she had started doing that. It made her feel needed, completely. The exact weight requirement to turn an unstable Price into an okay one was met. She turned her head toward her and Max brought their faces close and their heads touching. The words seem to tumble out of the brunette's pink lips as they barely lifted drifting near her own. "It will always be you and me." There was something in those blue eyes that reminded her of a time when things were easier to believe in. So much had happened. Chloe had seen the truth. It was all the musings of children and the dreams of fools. Shit happens and it had happened to her. And when Max spoke those words they came from a different time. A time where words were powerful enough to defy what the future had planned for you. The wheel of the ship that was her life had been spinning for so long out of control. In this moment, when she reached out for it, it snapped obediently in her hand as if it had always been waiting for her to return. Could she be the one to steer it again? Could she return to that time? Chloe pushed her lips against Max's and kissed her showing her that she would try. She believed. Even if this was the only thing she could believe in anymore.

Chloe looked back at Nathan who still wasn't sure if he was already dead or not. She disengaged the hammer and put the gun back into her pocket. Nathan dropped his hands and let out a sigh of relief.

"Fuck…" He muttered under his breath.

Chloe glared at him. "The only reason you aren't dead is because of Max. If you do anything to hurt her, I will end you." She let go of Max and pulled away walking over to the truck to be by herself and her thoughts.

"I guess I deserved that." He mumbled.

"I'll say." Max said frowning. "So how do you plan on fixing it?" She crossed her arms and glanced back at Chloe who was leaning up against the truck facing away from them. Max didn't hear an answer and when she finally turned back toward him he was staring at her like he had at the rewinds. It was the face of a person seeing something that was wrong, like something happening that should never be possible.

"Is what she said true? Did Jefferson take you to the dark room? Did he…?" He scanned her eyes for the pain or hurt. Nathan had thought the real threat was just disarmed but if Max had actually gone there? The worse could be yet to come and it wouldn't be as simple as a bullet.

"I've been through many timelines. In one of them, I was taken there. It was after Jefferson had already killed you." Nathan went still as he contemplated the possibility of Jefferson ever killing him. She continued when it seemed he had reached a conclusion that unnerved him. "I've met you in most of the other timelines. You've been an asshole in every one of them." He shifted uncomfortably. "But you told me in one of those timelines that you were sorry." Nathan's features relaxed and he tilted his head as if to nod. "And I believe you. Don't make me regret giving you a chance."

"Let me ask you something then."

"Ok."

"Why are you doing all of this? I never really paid any attention to you until my Dad told me about you. You were just some girl that went to my school. Who are you?"

 _The true Sg̱aaga of Arcadia._ Joseph's solemn words answered in her mind.

"The other spirits are angry about what the Prescotts have already done and will do with Pan Estates. By taking the Raven you've upset the balance and they've chosen me to set it right. If I don't, then all of Arcadia will be destroyed. And I've seen that happen too."

"Did you go to them and get these powers? Why did they choose you?"

Max frowned. "No, and I don't know."

Nathan sighed. "Do you already have some plan on how you're going to stop the Raven?"

She opened her camera bag and pulled out the spirit pipe holding it in both hands. Nathan's eyes lingered on the engraving of the Raven. "This will push the Raven's spirit out of Sean's body. I need a chant to make it work but I don't know the words. Have you seen anything like this before?"

Nathan shoved his hands into his pockets and bit the side of his lip. "No. I don't think Dad has one of those but it does look like some of the native shit he's got hoarded. I mean I don't know the chant, but I'm sure if it exists then my father has a book on it in his study. If this thing can get it out of him without hurting him, then I'll get you in and we could look for it."

Max quickly put the pipe back in her bag. Nathan might have agreed to help but she didn't feel comfortable having him near the only thing that could stop the Raven. "But isn't your Dad there?"

Nathan shook his head. "Nah. He left to hide out somewhere at the same time that he sent me out here with those two idiots. The house is empty."

Max looked at the horizon. The sun was beginning to disappear behind the tree line. It was secluded here and now the silence reminded her of the stillness of Joseph's pond. "Alright but it's getting late. It's not a great idea to go at night. We will have to do it tomorrow."

Nathan turned around and held up a hand gesturing toward the cabin. "Those guys aren't coming back. You're just going to leave me here?"

Max crossed her arms squeezing herself tightly. "Fine. We are staying at a motel. You can get a room there, then we leave tomorrow." She glanced back at Chloe. "Let me tell her what's going on."

"Sure."

Max made her way gingerly toward the punk. She wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist pulling her back into her chest. The taller girl didn't say anything. She placed her hands on top of Max's and let out a sigh. "Nathan can get us into their house and into Sean's study. Hopefully, we can find the chant there." Max said.

Chloe turned around in her embrace and both of her hands came up to glide through Max's hair. "Max, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so selfish. This isn't about me."

Max held onto both of Chloe's arms and stood up on her tiptoes pressing a kiss on the taller girl's lips. "You don't have to apologize to me."

Chloe seized her in a sudden hug and squeezed pressing the side of her head against the brunette's. "That's why I love you."

Max giggled into her ear before kissing it. "Good, because you're not going to like the next thing I have to say." The small girl pulled back so she was looking into Chloe's eyes again. "Nathan is getting a room at the motel, so he has to come with us. It's too late to go to their house tonight."

"What?" Chloe's eyes went round and then she peered over Max's shoulder to glare at Nathan. He quickly averted her gaze.

"I need you to be civil at the very least. Ok?" Max pleaded.

"Fine." Chloe grumbled, then she sighed. "I've made enough trouble for you today. I almost wasted the only guy who could lead us to the chant." Max cupped the side of her face with a small warm hand. Chloe put her hand on top of it. "Let's get out of here." Max nodded and pulled away. Chloe opened the driver door and called out. "Alright, Pervscott, get in or I'm leaving your ass."

Nathan went back inside the cabin and collected a gym bag of clothes he had brought with him. They piled into the truck with Nathan sitting in the passenger seat and Max in the middle. Nathan turned around and watched the cabin slowly vanish behind the trees as they turned back onto the main road.

Chloe kept her eyes on the road and didn't allow herself even one glance in Nathan's direction. Not a word was spoken between any of them. Soon they were coming up on the bridge that Max and Chloe had crossed earlier. Nathan sat up in his seat as they started to go over and he leaned a hand against the dashboard.

"Hey. Easy. There's a patch of ice coming up." He said.

Chloe squinted. The road was completely dry. "The hell there is. You need glasses, Prescott?"

His started to paw at the glovebox. "For real stop fucking around. Slow down." He said his voice raised.

Max leaned up in her seat. "I don't see anything either Nathan."

"Stop!" He yelled.

"Listen here needle dick, I've already had en-" Chloe hadn't finished the thought whenever the truck began to hydroplane. She jerked the wheel in an attempt to correct it and her foot smashed into the break but they went sailing into the left lane. Then, Max saw it. The hole that had been in the wall. Chloe drove right through it, orange warning cones scattering, the wheels were now spinning but no longer meeting pavement.

"Ooooohhh Shiiiiiit!" Nathan cried as he clutched onto the dashboard. Then it met his face as he slammed into it, the truck had come to an abrupt stop. The sound of the river rushing underneath them was the only thing he could concentrate on. His vision was blurry but he managed to look over at the other passengers.

Chloe had her head down with her arms pressed into the steering wheel. Her head slowly rose, a small trickle of blood slid down her forehead. They both turned to see Max in the middle seat with both of her arms outstretched palms open. Nathan turned his head and it hurt. He could see out of the passenger window. The truck was suspended in mid-air above the river below them, while the small brunette was the only thing keeping them from plummeting to their death.

"Bitch." It ached to talk, his teeth grazing the places they had just bit down into. He dabbed at his bloody mouth. "I told you, the fucking ice."

"There wasn't any damn ice!"

"Oh yeah? What the." He swished the silver taste around in his mouth before spitting the blood into the floorboard. "What did we slip on?"

"The fuck if I know…" Suddenly it dawned on Chloe that they were still hovering. "Max?"

"Chloe. I can't…" Max closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "I can't rewind. There's like this block."

"Wha...what do you mean?"

"Shit." Nathan cursed. "We are so dead."

Chloe inched over to the brunette and placed her hands on her. "You can do this Super Max. I believe in you. You're…"

She stopped. They all could hear it. The faint sound of beating wings that grew louder. The Raven landed on the hood of the truck. It slowly scratched its way up the slight incline of the hood, dragging its talons against the rusty metal, as the truck dangled uselessly in the air. Nathan sunk into the dashboard looking down at the bobblehead that had tumbled over. He conceded to his fate. Chloe enveloped the brunette in her arms and stared the Raven down. She could feel the smaller girl shaking underneath, whether it was from fear or the strain at keeping them all alive she couldn't tell. She only knew one thing. She wouldn't let it hurt Max.

It twisted its feathery head, beady black eyes stared at all of them trapped inside. A sharp rap came from a single peck of its beak against the windshield. Then it pecked again. And then once again. _Crack_. A single vein of cracked glass appeared. Peck. _Crack._ Peck. _Crack._ Chloe swallowed hard. The Raven reared its head back to an unnatural length and angle and slammed its beak into the center of the cracks and the windshield exploded into tiny shards of glass.

Nathan ducked his head down and covered it with his arms but Chloe clutched onto the smaller girl in her arms. There was now no barrier between them and it. She felt the air around her arms and hands waver and there was a slight tingle sensation that accompanied it. Chloe thought that it must be Max doing something until the force started to repel her. The Raven stared into her eyes before she was thrown back into the driver side door. She cried out in pain and held onto the door for stability.

"Chloe…" Max said. Her hands were shaking, it was taking all of her strength to even hold the time stop. The Raven perched on the dashboard and leaned forward. Its beak gliding in the air close to her face. It lunged forward and cut the kan jagáa from her neck and in one swift motion flicked its head to the side throwing it out of the window. It slid down the hood of the truck and Max's hand darted out toward it. She wailed in agony as she time stopped the necklace before it reached the edge.

"Max!" Chloe shouted. She dived toward the Raven but its wings shot out and it flew backward as if its wings had caught a gust of air. It latched itself onto the hood of the truck. Chloe held the brunette's face in her hands. Tears mixed with the blood that was now flowing freely out of Max's nose and staining her shirt.

"I'm sorry…" Max struggled to push the words out. "I love..."

The unholy cackle of laughter that Max had only heard once in her nightmare escaped the Raven's open beak. Chloe screamed in anger at it. "You're not." She put her knee on the dashboard and cut her hand on broken glass as she held onto the frame of the windshield for leverage. "Going to." She hauled herself up onto the hood of the car with a grunt slamming a bloody palm print onto it. "Take her from me." Max felt the block that held her back slip as the Raven watched Chloe shuffle on her hands and knees to the necklace leaving a bloody trail. She grabbed it and wiped the blood from her brow that was dripping into her eyes. She peered over the edge and then back at the Raven. It was locked in a mental battle to the death with the small brunette in an attempt to burn her down before she could get back. Max let out a whine and the truck shook and dipped before she snapped it back into place. Boots bearing down on the metal, Chloe launched herself toward the cabin, her shoulder slamming against the frame. She kicked her boots against the truck as she climbed up the incline but it was becoming too steep. Chloe grabbed onto the edge of the open windshield. She dangled there on the edge of a slide that could send her into freezing waters the toes of her boots scraping against the truck.

A hand shot out. "Grab my hand!" Nathan shouted.

Chloe looked up. Her hand was throbbing and a red warmth was draining out of the open wound and down inside her coat sleeve. She hesitated. Max had started bleeding out of each nostril and there was so much blood on her shirt. Her head started to dip and sway struggling to stay conscious. Chloe lunged forward and grabbed Nathan's hand. Both of them grunted as he pulled her up and she hooked her leg inside the cabin. She collapsed into the seat next to the brunette. Her fingers fumbled with the string tying it around Max's neck.

"There...there you go...sweetheart." Chloe managed, huffing.

The Raven wasn't amused. Max stared back into dead eyes that seemed to swallow its surroundings rather than take them in. When she had first put the necklace on she had felt nothing special. Now, Max could feel a presence. It wasn't angry or afraid. It was determined and its instincts ran deeper than her own. It would not allow itself to be trapped and would escape with grace. She felt the Raven's grasp on her slipping away. It had manifested too much of its power already. She pushed and something gave way. The force didn't feel like a wall anymore. She gathered every last ounce of her energy for one last push as the Doe guided her direction.

"Go fuck yourselfie." She threw both her hands up in front of herself. The shards of glass that made up the windshield started to float up from where they had fallen. They snapped themselves back together and the Raven shot up from its perch on top of the hood of the truck. It hovered in the air flapping its wings. The blood disappeared from Max's shirt and her face and the wounds on both Nathan and Chloe knitted back together. The truck started moving in reverse threading itself through the hole in the bridge wall and setting itself back down onto concrete.

Max released the rewind and fell over on top of Chloe. The punk caught her and held onto her tightly with her own heart still racing.

"Max?" Chloe asked. She was still breathing. She had fainted.

"Shit…" Nathan muttered slumping back into his seat.

Chloe shifted the truck into park and jumped out. Her eyes scanned the trees and the distant evergreens for the Raven, but he was gone. There was nothing, only the truck's engine rumbling behind her and the cloud of her breath hitting the cold air in front of her face.

She climbed back in and slammed the door shut and made sure Max was comfortably pressed against her. She shifted back into drive and slowly made it across the bridge. They drove in awkward silence with Max's head buried in the taller girl's arm and Nathan staring out the window. He didn't seem to want to talk about what happened and frankly, she was glad for it.

A half hour rolled by and Chloe turned to him.

He looked back.

"Thanks."

"Whatever."

* * *

Chloe handed Nathan the key to room six. "Open it. I have to carry her." Nathan got out and went ahead of her. "I'm spoiling you now." Chloe mumbled to herself as she wrapped an arm behind the brunette's legs and hoisted an unconscious Max up in her arms. For the second time that day, the five dollar woman watched her carry Max from outside another apartment door. Chloe laid her down on the bed and nabbed the key back from Nathan's outstretched hand.

"Get your own room."

"Pfft. No shit." He left shutting the door behind him. It was quiet, just the two of them now. The way Chloe preferred it. Max looked so peaceful, her chest rising and falling slowly. Chloe dipped down and planted a kiss on the brunette's forehead. She sat on edge of the bed and pushed the locks of brown hair away from her face. She sat there for a long time before she could work up to putting words to what she had been thinking.

"I don't know what I would do if I lost you." She blinked away the tears that were forming in her eyes. "You saved my life in that bathroom in more ways than one Max. I didn't have anything to live for anymore." She sniffled. "I know it's pathetic." She stood up.

"I love you Super Max. I'm going to get us some dinner." She smirked and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. "Don't go anywhere."

She took another glance back at Max when she had reached the door. She smiled and pulled it open stepping outside. She spotted Nathan leaving the office cramming the motel key into his pocket. He crossed the parking lot towards her as she walked down the row of rooms toward the walkway that would take her to the diner.

"Getting food?"

"Yep."

"I'll come with."

Nathan walked with her to the end of the apartment rooms. When they rounded the corner, the five dollar woman was standing there waiting for them.

"Excuse me." She was looking at Nathan when she addressed them. Chloe rolled her eyes. "But could you spare five dollars or something? Please?"

The corner of Nathan's mouth raised as he thought it over. "Sure." Chloe watched as he pulled out his wallet and put a twenty into her hand. The older woman took the offering in both of her hands and smiled. "Oh thank you. You are too kind." She turned to Chloe before leaving and gave her a dirty look.

Nathan took a few steps toward the diner before he realized Chloe wasn't following. He turned back towards her. "You coming?"

"What the fuck was that?"

"What? She asked me for something. What's your problem?"

Chloe took a few steps toward him and he pulled back. She jabbed her finger in his direction. "You think that little stunt back there or this little handout business is going to be enough?"

"Enough for what? What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't play fucking dumb. You think these little good deeds will wash away what you did? Because they won't!" She was in his face now. He shoved her back.

"What do you want from me?! What's wrong with you?!"

"You fucking bastard you took Rachel from me!" She pushed him making him stumble back a few steps.

"She didn't belong to you! She was my friend too! You stupid selfish bitch. I hung out with her too. I talked to her. I loved her like everybody else did." His anger turned to choking sorrow. "She was chosen. I thought I had no choice and that I had to do it." He looked away. "I fucked it up. I thought if it had to be her, then at least I could do it myself without Jefferson touching her."

Chloe's jaw and fists unclenched. Nathan was crying now. A sob caught in his throat. He struggled to choke it out. "I killed my friend." He pushed past her and walked back toward the motel rooms.


	17. Just a Dream

First, there was only white light. The pair of eyes that stared back were not blinded by its starkness, they didn't even blink, and they didn't have to here. The scene was a blank canvas awaiting a creators brush stroke. Shadows from the corners of the painting began to crawl and squirm twisting themselves up into shapes that could be recognized. One became a tree, another became snow, and only three could assume the form of totems. The shadows worked with each other feverishly crafting the scene as if they were actors moving props across the stage in the darkness. The view that unfolded and offered itself to the unblinking eye became, at last, familiar. As the shadows created the finishing touches these eyes could almost predict where each tree would go. Even the totems that were covered from top to bottom in snow could not hide from the mind's eye what truly laid beneath, every contour, every splinter.

Sight in this place was a camera lens, an eye that never closed and never had to be opened to take in what was. The shadows worked behind the curtain moving at indiscernible speed. What was a slideshow of photos transformed into a full motion picture. It offered a view of the forest from above, then it soared. Trees passed by, the wilderness of Arcadia Bay, and then roads and the eyes that watched could see a river; then a bridge and a truck and finally the Raven. It was almost not even there. Not one shadow has shaped its form to show the eyes that watched. It had formed out of absence, what the shadows had not created. The Raven was a hole that was left out that had no bottom. It wasn't created, and it did not create. It was an abyss that swallowed everything nearby creating the form of a bird. What the spirit actually looked like was a mystery. It was whatever you had lost. When it looked at you, it saw your weakness. This creature would never stop. It would find you, and you would be forced to give.

 _You're not going to take her from me!_

The blood around your eyes started to drain as you tried to hold it all together and it had drained from Chloe too. One long streak of blood across the metal, at the end, was one terrified girl hanging onto the same thread that everything else clung. Every moment the truck became closer to a prison you would drown in, crushed by rusted steel, the freezing water would hold your head down.

When at last the Raven had tried to take everything from you. It failed. It asked everything of you and the trace of the word 'No' was still on your lips. The spirit's eyes stared at you reflecting you like a black mirror but finally, a small crack had formed, and you realized that it could be defeated. What was shown to the unblinking observer was that ethereal tape. It held what was, what is, and what would happen, and Max was the spool wrapped up in the middle of all of it. When this moment of time came, a hand would reach out, the spirits would answer its call, and the Raven would fail.

The prison, the shivering girl, and the Raven, the images faded away. The shadows dragged their props back behind the curtain. They had shown what was requested of them, what would happen. It was time to wake up from this nightmare. Eyes snapped open, blinked, and attempted to take in their real surroundings..There was a gasp that choked out a note of relief. The Raven wasn't watching. It was safe. Sean stood in the grove, the three totems arranged before him; and at long last, he was finally, utterly, and wholly alone.

Sean smiled and he laughed out loud to himself. The presence of the Raven had been near him so long he had almost forgotten what it was like to have a moment to himself. He stood there his boots firmly planted in the snow. The rush at earning this moment of reprieve felt invigorating. His eyes were drawn back down to the shovel in his hand. He would not have long. His haunted grimace returned. He wore it often, it was the look of possessing knowledge that few should have ever have, and fewer should ever seek. He raised a leg, and by stomping down one foot in front of the other, he trudged through the deep snow towards the absent spot, the place that a fourth totem had once stood. His hands were spread out at his sides wavering in the air in an attempt to maintain his balance. A black leather satchel bobbed near his hip strapped over one arm.

Sean stopped when he felt it. A thud resounded through his body as if his shovel had struck true before it had even touched the earth. The totem had been removed long ago by Martin, but whether it was from his own power or the close bond that he had formed with the Raven, he knew he need not press further. He shouldered the satchel off and tossed it into the snow next to where he would need to begin digging. Slowly now, and carefully, so as to not throw snow on his black cashmere overcoat, he dug.

He grunted and lifted the snow stabbing the ground with more force than was necessary. Now, alone, the air still and dead he was only left with his thoughts, the realization of how truly dangerous this was, began to sink in. He had to be the one to convince the Raven that now was the time to strike. He knew how powerful Max had become in such a short amount of time possessing many abilities that no one shaman had ever held at once in all of the histories he had studied. Whether or not Max knew it or not, she was practically a force of nature, and the Raven was right to fear her. It was too late now to concentrate on his failure at dealing with Joseph before it had come to this. His grip tightened around the shovels handle as he pulled another chunk of ice up. Max had blindsided him. He had always been comfortable with remaining at a distance to it all and making informed moves. He hated scrambling. Sean could see the frozen earth now in the small hole he had dug. He had to take risks now. One moment everything was fine. The next, Max had set fire to the totem, and he was ordering his son into hiding. Sean looked up at the snow-covered totems and scowled.

He raised the shovel over his head. Max couldn't understand. She was on a righteous warpath. She didn't have all of the pieces and would never know what all was at stake. He took a breath, and he wavered his knees giving at a sudden thought. Could she ever understand? Sean straightened up and set his shoulders back before he plunged the tip of the shovel into the dirt. No, she wouldn't, only a Prescott would see. His only option would be to wear Max down and wait for a mistake. He had seen that the Raven would fail, but such a direct assault would serve to be an excellent first step. Sean titled the shovel and emptied the dirt onto the white ground.

He sat the shovel down and reached for his satchel unlatching the top. The dream catcher tumbled out of the bag and sunk into the snow. Sean's leather-bound fingers froze at the sight as if a bomb had just tumbled out and it was now ticking away the seconds until his demise in giant red font. His eyes darted over the old relic checking for any sign of damage. It no longer held a full web. Sean let out a sigh as soon as he saw that the solitary string was still taut and securely tied to the wooden hoop. His heart was still racing, but he hadn't needed to run. He swallowed hard and decided to leave it where it lie for the time being. He wouldn't like to handle it more than he had to. Sean cupped his hand and scooped the dirt that had once been under the absent totem into the open jar. He closed it and held the pot in his arm against the side of his chest and turned around.

It occurred to him that not even ten paces away he had stood as a small eight-year-old boy. He was now standing where his father had been.

"Why do we have to do things for it?" He had asked staring up at his father, Harry. He couldn't see his face, but Sean knew that his father was wearing that scrutinizing gaze. His father always seemed to be attempting to sift out the details of anything that came before him.

"It is a mutual relationship with our family. That means, if we help it, then it helps us." Harry had his arm held behind his back with impeccable posture as if he was ready to be painted at any moment.

"I wish our spirit could be a rabbit like Bunsen."

Harry turned on his heel to face the young Sean who was twirling a dirty and worn stuffed bunny by his side. His father leveled a contemptuous glance at the rabbit. "I thought I told you to get rid of that filthy thing. It is unbecoming of you."

Harry appeared in front of him in an instant and snatched the rabbit away. Sean reached out for it clawing at his father's navy suit sleeves, but Harry quickly tossed it aside to the ground. The young boy felt firm hands seize his shoulders and hold him in place. Harry brought their faces close.

"Get a hold of yourself son. You will be a man one day. You will have to make sacrifices, and it will feel like this. It will hurt." Harry sighed and turned his head toward the stuffed animal. The look went past it and seemed almost wistful, it mourned something, but Sean's frightened eyes couldn't see it then. "This is one I'll make for you." Harry looked back at him. His features contorted into a disparate smile. The compassion in his eyes failing to dull the sharpness of his words. "The rest you have to do yourself. Your time will come. It will be your responsibility to serve the Raven as I have and your grandfather did."

The voices fell away, and Sean stood alone in the snow again cradling the jar. The mourning grimace that his father had worn, he now wore. It had become his time long ago. He stored the jar securely in the satchel and picked up the dream catcher. He couldn't hesitate now. He had to be his strongest now. Sean took a few wobbly steps out in front of the totems holding the artifact in front of him. He stopped and hooked his index finger around the single taut string that was left. He held a breath and then plucked. The string snapped, and Sean thrust the dream catcher as far away as he could manage. A burst of wind shot through the trees rustling the needles and blowing snow. Sean began to sway like them, shaking at the unknown force he had just unleashed.

Sean imagined that the effect would be immediate, the nightmare that the dream catcher held would spring forth. Here in the grove, the place where the spiritual energies of this land met he would be at his strongest. The totems standing tall would be the walls of his stronghold. But he felt something different now. He felt nothing. The connection to the energy of this place had been cut and unlike ever before he was exposed here, in his greatest sanctuary. Sean felt another's eyes on him. His hand fumbled behind him as he pressed his back into the snow-covered wood of one of the totems. The Raven? Had it come back so soon? Did it know what he had done? He gripped the totem for support to stop his shivering. This was different. The Raven had always watched him with a clinical interest.

Sean scanned the trees. The eyes that watched him now were hungry. A deep-seated instinct that all creatures held but that he had never experienced in his life emerged. He was this creature's prey.

"Hello?! I demand you show…" His sniffed, and his lip quivered, "Yourself..." He trailed off. The energy that gave him authority here felt distant.

A rustle came from one of the trees surrounding the grove, and his eyes snapped to where he had heard it. Nothing. He couldn't see anything. He took a few steps forward away from the totem, his back wet with ice. Sean squinted, but there was nothing to see. After a few moments, he started to wonder whether the artifact had done anything at all. But there was something to hear. It began as a low growl, but it surrounded him. Whatever this was, it was many, and he twisted from side to side unable to find the source. At last, what he saw emerge from the trees froze his boots to the ground chilling his blood in horror. Four massive feet with protruding claws. Monstrous legs that stood above his own height. A gasp caught in his throat as he locked eyes with red orbs set upon a closed muzzle. It stalked forward, and he took a step back. Its demeanor was growing eager feeding off of his own mounting dread.

Sean had seen the faces of people who despised him. The look of disappointment from his father, of sorrow from his wife, and anger from his son. The wolf spirit that now towered over him snarled with a fiendish grin like nothing he had ever witnessed before. In its eyes, he was nothing.

He opened his mouth to speak Ojibwemowin, but the breath was knocked out of him as the force of the blow flipped him face down into the snow. It had cushioned his landing. Sean raised himself up and could see a small stream of blood dying the ground around him a bright red. He gasped for the next precious breath of air. He could hear the vibration behind him as the massive beast growled a grave threat of its next intention. His head snapped up, and he could see the dream catcher just out of his reach in front of him on the ground. Sean had always thought that if he had died this moment, it would have been the Raven discovering what he had been up to, but now he had gambled with something much more unpredictable. He would only have one shot; everything was at stake at this moment. There was only one thing on his mind now.

"Nathan!" He wheezed leaping forward onto the dream catcher, and as soon as his hands had wrapped themselves around the wood, he spun and rolled to the side. A flurry of snow blasted from the ground next to where his body had been not even a second ago. The ground shook as the beast slammed its snapping maw into the earth. Sean shot back sliding backward as he furiously kicked the ground with his boots, a tattered cashmere scrap dragging along. He summoned every ounce of power he had left hauling himself up to his feet. The spirits head dropped low and bobbed from side to side sizing him up. A low rumble reissued from its muzzle but this time with the knowledge that its prey was not so quickly devoured. Sean waved the spirit's prison in front of its eyes.

"I am the alpha in this place!" He roared in Ojibwemowin. Lines of power illuminated in the wooden hoop enclosed in his fist. Sean's declaration flared with his own power, and the evergreens almost seemed to bow in submission to him. The totems that loomed near radiated his call. He narrowed his eyes at the beast and growled, "I am your master, and I can put you back in your prison if I wish. You will do as I command!"

The spirit raised its head and its features relaxed. A new expression, another of the kind that he rarely received, of reverent respect passed over its countenance. It now awaited his order. Sean sighed and then winced as the pain of his wound surfaced again. He grasped his side and pulled the tattered remains of his coat against the laceration.

"You must go to Blackwell. Interfere with the lives of the ones that are closest to the spirit of Maxine Caulfield. I want you to draw her out." Sean managed through gritted teeth. The beast turned its enormous head toward the direction of Blackwell as it considered its new master's request. Time was running out, and he would have to tend to this injury. "Go! Now!" He boomed sucking in another quick breath. The spirit grunted at his impatience but obeyed. It whirled around and lunged forward dashing into the woods. He watched its immense legs propel itself with incredible speed toward Blackwell and vanish.

"Fuck…" Sean coughed as soon as it was out of sight. As uncertain as he was of what nightmare the dream catcher had held he was also unsure as to what it would do. He couldn't concentrate on that now. Max had chosen this path, and now she had to walk it. Nothing would stop him from saving Nathan, not the wolf spirit, Max, or even the Raven. With a limp, he made his way to his satchel and deposited the dream catcher back inside. Sean double checked the jar to ensure that it was still safely stored within. Taking one last look at the totems, he felt now as he had felt so long ago. His eyes were once again drawn back to the spot where his eight-year-old form had stood. He could still hear his answer to his father echoing in these same evergreens that now towered over him as if they had held his defiance after all these years.

"I will never serve the Raven!" He had shouted back.

Harry had slapped him across the face. The blow had landed so fast he hadn't even had time to blink but the sting had lasted a lifetime. A stern finger followed it. It jabbed towards his nose. He had wanted to scuttle away like an insect that had been crushed. "You will never say such a disrespectful thing again! And you will do what is expected of you!" Harry let go of him, and Sean stopped himself from tumbling back from the force of his father's words. Harry straightened his suit jacket and looked around, but both of them had known then that not a soul for miles could have possibly been around. When Harry appeared to be satisfied, he took a few steps away from the sobbing boy. "Come along Sean. We don't want to be tardy." His father began to walk back the way they had come knowing the boy would soon catch up to avoid being left behind. With a tearful sniff, Sean ran over to Bunsen pulling him back into his arms by a long ear.


	18. Face the Storm, Eye to Eye

BEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMP BEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRMMMMMP

"A winter weather message from the National Weather Service: Arcadia Bay and the surrounding areas in southern Tillamook County will be receiving one to three additional inches of snow…"

Max opened her eyes to the soft glow of a lamp perched on a table across from her. She traced its golden ray to a plastic bag which held two styrofoam to-go plates. Next to the table, Chloe was seated with the chair angled towards the bed sleeping into her hand. Max smiled. Chloe had always said she would be her bodyguard. It seemed like the job had been tougher than the punk had realized. Max sat up, resisting the pull on her body begging her to return, to lower herself back into the sheets like one would lower themselves into a steamy bath. She was drawn by an itch in the back of her head. Something was not quite right. She hadn't fallen asleep here. Then Max remembered. The Raven. She gasped as if returning to the moment right before the world had gone dark and clutched at the necklace around her neck. It was still there. Chloe had risked her life to get it back. Max ran the length of the leather chord with her fingers until they came to the knot. Max prodded it and stared off for a moment. She jerked her head down chin touching chest to look at it. She gave it a few hard tugs to see if the knot would untie but it didn't. It was strong. It would last. And they had lasted.

Outside the window, just behind the sleeping girl, a layer of ice had left a blurry sheen. Max could tell that it was late. A clock hung on the wall; she frowned at its arms that had likely stopped ticking long ago. Max pulled the covers away, a wave of cool air, colder than she had expected, rushed to meet her legs. She looked down; they were bare. She leaned over, the bed issuing a creak. Her shoes and pants were on the floor. Max shot a smirk at the slumbering punk before rifling through the jeans to find her phone. 11:26 read the digital clock on her lock screen. Her wallpaper, a nature landscape that was set behind the clock left much to be desired. Max closed it and slid the phone onto the nightstand. The old television set droned in the background at the foot of the bed, repeating its warning after an ear ringing beep. Max found the remote and switched it off.

She got up and tiptoed over to Chloe, her feet barely making a sound as they padded across the carpet. The brunette put both her hands on the back of the chair and leaned forward. Her lips were close to the punk's ear as she whispered. "Wake up. I'm a big bad guy, and I'm here to do bad guy things, like break stuff and hurt people."

Chloe stirred, first moving her foot forward stretching, then pulling her hand away from her face revealing a red mark. She peeked out of half-lidded eyes down at her hand that was wet with drool. Without much thought, she wiped it away on her jeans and groaned. "Okay. Just wait there for a second. I gotta go wake up Max so she can kick your ass."

Max giggled and kissed her cheek making sure to produce an audible smack. Chloe smiled and turned towards her pushing their lips together and holding the smaller girl's face in both her hands. "How are you feeling sweetheart?"

The brunette wrinkled her nose, "Like an undeveloped picture."

Chloe ran her thumbs under Max's eyes tracing the freckles. Even through the groggy haze that coated Chloe's features, Max could see her turn serious, "It didn't hurt you? Did it? You rewound it all away...right?"

Max nodded, but it didn't seem enough. Chloe cupped the smaller girl's arms in her hands rubbing their undersides, and it made Max shiver at the barely perceptive sensation of tickling. Chloe's eyes were glued to the tied knot on her kan jagáa. "If what we were doing wasn't hella risky before, it is now. You almost died twice in one day. I know…" The blue-haired girl looked up at her, the worry line in her forehead fading away, "I know you wouldn't stop, even if I told you to come away with me. Even if I told you to let it all sort itself out." Max looked away. "You're too good of a person to do that, and sometimes I don't know if I deserve you." Chloe shook her head and her lips curled in disgust, "This fucking town, I know doesn't deserve you, doesn't deserve what you are risking." She was on the verge of spitting the words like venom.

"Chloe…" Max whined and returned Chloe's gaze.

"Tell me…" The taller girl's eyes begged her, her hands reaching out to paw at the bottom of the brunette's t-shirt, "That it's all going to be okay. That we're going to win this and that it won't take you away from me."

Max sucked in a breath and lowered her hands down to rest on Chloe's legs, and lowered herself to be at eye level with the girl, "It's all going to be okay. That bird is going down. He's going to pay for everything he's stolen. And…" The brunette leaned forward meeting Chloe's open lips and as she said the last words two hands placed themselves on top of hers as if cementing the words to stone. "I'm not going anywhere."

Chloe smiled as Max pulled away and stood back up. "Good," She said, but Max wasn't so sure she was easily convinced. "...Because saving you was way harder than you saving me."

"I just make it look easy." Max crossed her arms holding herself tightly, "It's hard for me every time too. I'm the target. I'm the reason why anyone needs saving in the first place. Now I've put Nathan in it too." Her voice lowered, "Like I did with Joseph."

Chloe frowned, "That wasn't your fault. We all chose to help you. Joseph did it knowing what the Raven was capable of. He knew you were going to be one to put things right. Nathan wanted help from us; we didn't go to him. I'm doing this because…" She smirked and gave a nod toward the plastic bag. "You wouldn't take care of yourself, like eating, if I wasn't around."

Max's eyes widened, and her arms shifted down from her chest to hold her stomach instead. "God, I'm starving."

"Uh huh," Chloe remarked smugly clearly satisfied with herself. She reached into the bag and popped the lid on the top plate as if she was modeling a display. A beast of a biscuit called her name from within. Chloe had piled everything that would fit into it: ham, bacon, egg, and sausage. All in one motion, Max gave her a peck on the cheek and took the biscuit in both her hands. The punk laughed and watched in amusement as Max found a way for her small mouth to take a more substantial bite than what was meant for it. Max swiped the plate and held it underneath the biscuit as she bit into and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I already ate mine, but I hope yours isn't too cold or anything," Chloe said with a hint of a chuckle.

"Nooommhphgh" Max replied.

"Good…" Chloe said. She rubbed her hands against her jeans smoothing the fabric and slouched down in the chair, "Sometimes…" Choe began and swallowed. Max lowered the biscuit but was still chewing to let her know she was attentive. "Sometimes I wish I was more like you, Max."

The brunette gave her a sideways look, "Time powers are much more annoying than you think they would be."

"No not like that. God, no." Chloe chuckled, "I wouldn't be anything like you with powers. I would have held up like two banks, bought a red convertible, and we would be outta here, girl." Max giggled and took another bite of her dinner. Chloe's dreamy smile at imagining what she would do disappeared and a scowl took its place. "I mean sometimes I wish I could care about people like you do. See them as you do maybe? All that matters to me...is you. You and my mom and maybe stepass." She waved an indifferent hand as she considered her concern for the last item on that list.

"That's not true. What about Justin? What about Mrs. Grant? Frank? How about Kate? You care about a lot of people, Chloe. You aren't as selfish as you think." Max said.

To Max's confusion that only seemed to upset Chloe more. She went quiet, then rocked back and forth in her seat, and when it almost seemed like the punk would cry she said with a teary voice, "I am, and I know you don't think so, and I know you don't want to see that, but I am."

Max was shaking her head, "No, Chloe. You risked everything just to save me. You almost died!"

Chloe jumped up, and she held out her hands as if to plea. It was like she was on trial but inside her own head, she played prosecutor, defense, and jury all at once. It made her freeze in place struggling to pronounce herself guilty. "I did that for myself! I didn't want to lose you! You are doing all of this for them, and they don't even know!" She wiped at her face with the back of her hand, "You came so close...we barely escaped."

Max stood up and came close placing her hands on the taller girl's arms, "You're not a bad person, Chloe. You were just afraid. I was too."

Chloe shook her head, and locked eyes with the brunette, her voice low, an undertone of rage rumbling underneath her words, "I'm not like you...I would sacrifice all of them if it meant that you would live. I wouldn't choose them over you."

"But you did." Max whispered back, "You told me to let you die in that bathroom to save all those people."

Chloe turned her eyes away, "That was different. That wasn't you. That was me. I'm not worth a whole town."

Max pushed into the taller girl's arms, and Chloe squeezed her back. "You are worth it, and I almost did it." Max pulled back and looked up at her.

Chloe ran her fingers through the side of the smaller girl's hair to calm herself. "I watch you fight so hard for them. You risk everything. And I'm not the person I should be. I'm not selfless like that, and I want to be. I want to feel what you feel. That this is what we are meant to do. You don't want to run away, and you make me not want to run away too."

"You don't have to," Max said softly her eyes closing at Chloe's touch.

"When this is all over I just want to enjoy something normal with you again. I want to see you go to school; I want to come bother you in the dorms, and distract you from doing homework." Chloe said. Max smirked but her smile melted sincere. "I want to see you graduate." Chloe lowered her eyes; a pang of sadness was in them, the hollowness of the hope in her words.

Max placed her hand on Chloe's, "You will, I promise."

Chloe looked over at Max's camera bag laying on the table, "And you're not giving up photography right?"

Max walked over and picked up her phone then stood in front of the taller girl. She took Chloe's hand and wrapped it around her own waist as she twirled around, her back pressed against the punk. Max angled the phone camera towards them and tilted her face up and towards the punk's, "Nope." Chloe kissed her and Max took the shot.

"Are you saving that one in case we need to photo jump? Would be a cozy moment to come back to."

Max stepped away and turned around back towards her bringing the phone close to her face so Chloe couldn't see as she changed a few settings. "I don't want to photo jump anymore. This is a new timeline, and I want to do everything I can to make it a place we want to live. One we want to stay in. No more jumps, unless we absolutely have to."

"What are you hoarding over there?" Chloe asked, a sly smile creeping in the corners of lips.

"Noooothiiing" Max giggled swaying her hips side to side.

"Lemme' see!" Chloe pounced for the phone but missed.

"Nope!" Max chimed, she twisted her body away holding her phone farther out of reach.

Chloe held her hands out toward the brunette's sides and wiggled a threat.

"No, " Max raised her hands to shield herself from the impending attack, and her foot tested the carpet behind her feeling a step back. Chloe was already nodding, an impish smile, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, one that Max loved but knew well.

"Oh yes!" Chloe juked to the left and Max to the right.

In an instant, as if she had felt a phantom tickle, the brunette, still only wearing her t-shirt and underwear, gasped, spun, and bounded away laughing, making a break for the opposite side of the bed. She shrieked "Nooooooo!" Chloe's laughter was steps behind her, the wiggling fingers inches from her sensitive skin. Max made a desperate dive across the bed kicking the covers behind her to scoot across, but it was too late. Chloe had always been faster than her. Fingers curled around her leg and tugged her backward. She rolled over on her back willingly surrendering the fight. Chloe grinned and Max giggled then laughed hard as the taller girl's fingers snuck under her shirt and tickled her exposed flesh. Both girls squirmed, tossing the covers into a torrent. Chloe had her pinned from above, her long slender legs straddling the brunette's hips. There was no escape. Finally, after Max could feel her tummy reaching the point of bursting, she dropped her phone and called for a cease tickle.

Chloe seized her prize and held it in the air above their heads in triumph, "Aha! Captured the booty!"

Max, breathing hard, her shirt pulled up above her belly button and splayed across the bed looking quite ravaged, chuckled. She watched with amusement as the taller girl unlocked her phone with the enthusiasm of a pirate throwing open a chest of gold. Chloe's brow straightened into a relaxed line, her bottom lip slid down forming her mouth into a small delicate oval, and her blue eyes, almost seeming to shine as if lit from behind, moved up and down taking in the new background she had set of them.

"You always know how to make me feel like I matter," Chloe said. As if it was possible for her to break it and the image of them together then lost forever, she set the phone down on the sheets beside them.

"You do matter," Max answered almost breathless. The brunette slid her arm around Chloe's neck pulling her down in front of her face. She arched her back pushing a kiss into the taller girl's lips but was pushed down flat against the sheets. Max recognized that mischievous twinkle of the eye again except this time it flickered like a wild flame and it made her hot. Chloe's fingers were already walking down her skin and under her waistband. She moaned in delight, her lips forming a smile as Chloe kissed her stomach.

* * *

"Got everything?" Chloe asked. Max stood in the doorway to their hotel room surveying it for anything they may have forgotten. She pulled her brown leather coat off the hook and began to slip it on.

"You would be a great mom," Max said with a grin slipping an arm into the coat.

Chloe was quiet as if she was giving it some thought but seemed unconvinced. Finally, she smiled a devious smile, "Then we really have to get to baby making."

Max shut the hotel door behind her and smirked. "I don't think it works like that."

"Oh, that's quitter talk," Chloe said slinging the bag over her shoulder. Both of them trudged carefully through the small layer of snow to the truck. Chloe heard a giggle come from over her shoulder and she knew she had won. Everything around them was draped in an elegant white, and the road leading away from the hotel looked mysterious, clouded in thick fog.

Chloe opened the driver door and stuffed her bag underneath the seat and then took Max's as she appeared beside her.

"Let me get Nathan," Max said.

"Alright, I'll start the truck up. Maybe it will be warm enough for his highness by the time he gets here." Chloe said adding an eye roll.

Max shuffled across the parking lot, trying not to slip with her converse, and wishing that she had those boots she had dreamed of.

"Miss?" A voice came out of the gloom. Max hadn't even seen her. The woman that was huddled against the wall almost seemed to wear the surrounding fog like a cloak as it shrouded her features.

"Yes?" Max came closer to her. She was an older woman wearing a red flannel coat that looked almost like the one Joseph had worn.

"I was wondering if you had something to spare? Five dollars or anything?"

"Oh. Of course." Max dug into her jean pocket and took a five dollar bill off the top. She placed it in her outstretched hands that were shaking from the cold.

"You have a kind heart miss."

Max came closer and put her hand on the woman's shoulder. "It's so cold out here. Please get someplace…" The world went dark. The lady in front of her vanished, and so did the hotel. The figures of shadow that Max had now started to become accustomed to begun to lay out a scene before her eyes. They twisted into shapes showing her the inside of a kitchen and a young girl. The girl was gazing up at Max with pleading eyes waiting for an answer. She had skin the same color of her brown hair that was parted across her face. The answer came, but it wasn't coming from her own mouth.

"Stella, honey, I'm sorry, but I can't afford that kind of tuition. Maybe we can talk about it again once I get a new job and your father doesn't have to support us on his own."

Stella tore herself away from the hands that were meant to comfort. Anger and fear tarnished her features, battling a rising feeling that she deserved this but twisted with guilt for asking at all. Stella stormed off. "I'm sorry! But we can't…" The hand that wasn't Max's reached out but withered back to her side defeated.

Max gasped as if she had been submerged underwater and the lady in front of her pulled back. "Are you alright?" She asked bewildered.

"You're Stella's mom." Max blurted. The woman took a step back and looked at her arm as if Max had something that could be caught.

"How do...you know that? I've never met you before."

"I know things," Max replied before groaning at how much worse she was making it. Stella's mother looked as if she was a cornered animal looking for an escape. "I mean I know your daughter. She goes to Blackwell with me. She's nice, and she works really hard."

"Um, what was your name?"

"Max, Max Caulfield."

"Karen Hill." She said extending a wary hand.

Max shook it and smiled. "Nice to meet you, Karen." She looked back over her shoulder. Chloe was perched on the dashboard of the truck with a squint trying to make out what they were doing. As soon as she saw Max look back, she slumped back into her seat.

"You said my daughter goes to Blackwell...with you?"

"Yes. She got in with a scholarship, and she's working for the rest."

"A scholarship…" Karen breathed. A new light shone in her dull eyes.

Max came closer and took the woman's hands into her own. "Look, I don't know what is going on with you two but…" She looked at the cleared road. "When the weather is better you should come and see her. Let her know how proud you are of her."

Tears fell from the corners of Karen's face, and she squeezed Max's hands looking back into the girl's eyes. "I will." The woman was filled with questions. "I don't know how you know all this but thank you, Max."

Max squeezed back and nodded, "It was just meant for me to meet you." The brunette looked back at Chloe still waiting in the truck and added, "You don't have to run anymore. Keep safe."

Max pulled away, and Karen nodded wiping away tears. They both turned to look at the sound of a door opening and closing.

"You ready?" Nathan asked mildly, oblivious or unconcerned with the moment the two were having.

Max patted Karen's arm. "Yeah. Let's get going."

The two of them walked to the truck side by side. Nathan asked in a low voice, "Old bat want something with you?"

"Yeah. Answers." Max said with a smile.

"Pfft. Whateverthefuck you say." Nathan replied rolling his eyes at her crypticness. "Starting to sound like my damn Dad."

Max opened the passenger door and slid into the middle seat butting into Chloe on purpose. Chloe pushed her hip back against the brunette, but only half-hearted, more concerned with what all the fuss had been about. "So uh, what did she want with you?"

"Wanted to see how much for the junker and the punk girl." Nathan snarked.

Chloe glared at him and then gave Max a concerned look.

Max grinned, "I told her they were both priceless."

There were two groans.

* * *

Max typed the address that Nathan had given them into her phone in case she would need it later.

"That's a hot girl you got on there." Chloe smiled glancing down at Max's phone as she locked it and put it away.

Max smiled, "I think they are a perfect match."

"Oh, fucking gross. Don't wreck this death trap making out over there."

"Listen up you little shit; you're just here to give me directions to your house and get me in, not to be cute with your little remarks. Don't think I feel indebted. Your part of the reason why we have to do this. You and your precious daddy fucking things up for Max to clean up."

Nathan gritted his teeth and jerked his head towards the window staring out of it. Max cleared her throat. "I'm thankful that you decided to help us, Nathan. You don't have to be like your dad."

Nathan looked back at the smaller girl searching her eyes to ferret out the intention of her words. Finally, he grunted and answered. "I know that."

"Could you tell us anything that you can think of that would be helpful?" Max asked.

Nathan leaned against the door and propped his arm on it, "I know he wears one of those protection charms. So you aren't going to get at him with your powers. Least he says that those charms are barriers against spiritual energy." He drew his lips together, "Ugh, I sound like a fucking idiot. If I hadn't seen you do that weird shit, I wouldn't believe it."

Max started to ask another question, but before she could manage to her surprise Chloe beat her to it, "So if Sean wears one of those then he doesn't wear a kan jagáa?"

"A kan what the hell did you say?" Nathan chuckled incredulously.

"A kan jagáa. Look it up dumbass. Probably in one of your daddy's books."

"Stop calling him that," Nathan grumbled.

"It's the name for the special type of necklace that Max wears." Chloe continued, "They concentrate the spirit's powers that he's tapping into. It would be Sean's conduit to the Raven." Max smiled at Chloe sounding as if she was a spiritual expert. The punk noticed and gave her a wink back as if to say 'yeah I was listening.'

"No, I never saw him wearing anything different. He doesn't need that I guess." Nathan said.

"He would need it. Without it he would...Did you see him ever get nosebleeds? Or get really tired all of a sudden? Maybe pass out?" Chloe asked.

"You mean like the weirdo shit that happens to Max? Uh no. Never seen any of that happen to him." Nathan replied.

"What about you? Did he try to teach you anything?" Max asked.

"I mean kind of. He started teaching me more this last year. First, it was about the charms, and he wanted me to wear one for my protection. I wasn't going to be caught fucking dead at school wearing some shit like that. I already have enough to worry about."

"What was the spirit animal?" Max asked.

"What?"

"The spirit of your charm."

"A whale. Why the hell does that matter?"

"I was just…" Max trailed off as Chloe brought the truck to a stop. A snow plow vehicle was abandoned in the middle of the road. The remaining part of the way ahead of them was snowed over. There was no sign of the driver, but a panel had been left open after an attempted repair.

"Fuck." Chloe cursed banging her hands against the steering wheel.

"Not surprising. That plow is probably is as old as this thing." Nathan remarked crossing his arms. "No fucking way am I going to walk the rest of the way."

Chloe rested her chin against the wheel and sighed.

Max looked at the plow and then down at the road, "I think I have an idea."

"What? Going to rewind the plow and fix it?" Chloe asked sitting up.

Max shook her head and sat on the edge of the seat. "Don't have to." The brunette reached her hand out and concentrated narrowing her eyes to the road. All of them watched as the snow slowly began to vanish until about ten feet of the road ahead was clear. "There was once a road that didn't have snow." Max giggled.

"Hella yes! We have our own plow." Chloe grinned.

Nathan smiled, "That's pretty cool."

Max smiled back at him. Suddenly, he frowned as if he had remembered himself.

"Next turn is on the next right." He said turning back towards the window.


End file.
